Unsuspecting Love
by swimmer07
Summary: During a long shift at Quake, Piper meets the man of her dreams. When her life is ripped apart by a series of events, can she find it in herself to open up to certain police officer that has his heart set on winning hers. A Piper and Leo fanfic. Complete!
1. A Little More Sage

**This fic takes place during the first season of Charmed (but no magic). It begins as a love story between Piper and Mark (the ghost Piper fell for, except he is alive) and Leo eventually works his way into the story. I hope you enjoy! Please read and review!**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 1: A Little More Sage**

Piper Halliwell let out a frustrated sigh, and ran her hands through her hair. Quake was bustling with people, and there was a new, inexperienced chief on the job. His first day, to be exact. She felt a major headache coming on and began rubbing her temples when she heard a slightly accented voice call out, "Excuse me, Miss?"

Piper sighed under her breath and headed towards the table, trying to plaster a smile on her face and barely succeeding. "Yes, sir? How may I help you?" She rattled off the familiar phrase.

The young Chinese man sitting in front of her pointed to his risotto and said, "I'm not trying to interfere but if your chef would add a little more sage to this, it would be perfect…" he was cut off by a large commotion in the kitchen.

"Piper!" someone called out from the kitchen, and Piper counted to three before letting out a large sigh and heading to the kitchen.

When she entered the kitchen, there were pots and pans strewn everywhere, and in the midst of it was the new chef. "What the hell happened in here!" she yelled.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Chef Carson stammered.

"Mike," Piper patiently sighed, "what happened?"

"I-I w-was t-turning and I-I, um…" He looked as if he were about to pee his pants.

Sarah Markenson, the quick-witted, caramel-colored woman who was Piper's good friend and right-hand woman, put Chef Carson out of his misery and said, "He was turning around, hit Megan, who slipped, and he tried to catch her, but ended up knocking down all the pot and pans." She then looked at the chef. "Was that so hard?"

"N-n-no, M-miss…"

"Let it go, Mike," Sarah said ending his suffering. "Alright people!" she called out. "You have three minutes to clean this up or you will be looking for a new job tomorrow!"

Piper hid a smile, along with some of the other long-time employees. They knew that underneath Sarah's hard outer shell was one of the most kind-hearted people you would ever meet. But the newer employees didn't know that. They quickly scurried to clean up the mess, believing Sarah's threat.

Piper pulled Sarah to the side and gave her a big hug. "What would I do with out you?" She released her from the hug and asked, "Will you call Chef Moore in Pairs? Tell him we need a new chef."

"Will do, but you know he only likes to talk to you."

"Yeah, well he can get his ass over here and run his own damn restaurant. I have a customer to talk to."

She walked back out to the dinning room, but the young Chinese man was gone. _Oh well, _she thought, and went to help out at the bar.

As she was leaving the restaurant that night, Piper tried a bit of the risotto. It was pretty good, but it really did need a bit more sage. _That guy was right,_ she thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark Chang made a quick decision to eat at Quake on his way home. He didn't feel like cooking anything and the restaurant was on his way home from work.

After a fifteen-minute wait, Mark was lead to a table in the back of the restaurant.

"What can I get you?" his perky waitress, Sky, asked.

"I'll have the risotto," he said.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes with your order." Sky smiled and left the table.

Mark spent the time he had waiting looking around the restaurant. There was a great diversity of all people, different races, ages, and ethnic backgrounds. In the middle of it all was a woman with long dark hair. She seemed to be on damage control, stopping waiters from running into each other, stopping trays from falling over, answering questions, and running to and fro all over the restaurant. Every so often, she would stop to brush her bangs out of her face, and she was soon back on her way.

Mark loved to cook, it ran in his family, but he didn't think he could handle the stresses of running a restaurant. Genetic engineering was more his thing. No nosy customers (except for his boss), no one to tell him how bad he did (except for his boss).

His food arrived soon, and he thanked the waitress as she walked away. The risotto was good, but it could use a little more sage.

Making a quick decision, he called out, "Excuse me, Miss?"

He could tell the smile she had on her face was strained and exhausted. "Yes, sir? How may I help you?"

"I'm not trying to interfere but if your chef would add a little more sage to this, it would be perfect…" he was interrupted by a loud commotion in the kitchen.

"Piper!" someone called, and Mark saw the brunette close her eyes, count to three, and let out a sigh before heading to the kitchen.

Mark felt a little guilty for stressing out the woman, who he now knew was named Piper, so he quickly finished his food and left after leaving a tip for the waitress.

Mark began walking back to his apartment; he didn't drive his car since he lived close enough to where he worked. Mark loved walking back a forth from work. He loved walking through the streets of Chinatown, smelling the herbs used in traditional Chinese dishes, seeing the buildings created to emulate those in China.

Mark finally reached his apartment, unlocked the door, and stretched out on the couch. The woman, Piper, from the restaurant was still on his mind. He didn't know why, the image of her face, wiping the bangs from her face, stuck in his mind, but it did.

Mark smiled as he thought about her, and he decided he wouldn't feel like cooking tomorrow night either. He would eat at Quake and see what the dark haired woman who plagued his thoughts was up to.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author Note: I hope you like this chapter. Just in case any of you may be confused, Mark is the ghost Piper fell for in the beginning of season one, before she even met Leo. I really like Mark, so I decided to put him in a story. But I am truly a Piper and Leo fan, so Leo will eventually work his way into the story. It may be a while, so be patient. Please review, I welcome all comments.**


	2. It's a Date

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 2: It's a Date**

Quake was once again busy, but Piper didn't care. She talked to Chef Moore yesterday, and he agreed to hire a new chef. One straight from Paris, he claimed, and Piper had been forced to suppress a groan. Chef Moore's cooks from Paris usually turned out to be some snobby guy who thought he was above everyone else, when he could barely tell the difference between a knife and a fork. Piper sometimes wondered in Chef Moore just did it to aggravate her. If he did, he was succeeding.

She never wanted to run a restaurant. She wanted to be a chef, not running some restaurant for some guy out of the country. Chef Moore originally hired her as a chef, but after two days, she found herself running the restaurant. She sometimes wondered why she was still working this job, but she would quickly remember her grandmother's hospital bills. Grams, as her grandmother had been so lovingly called, had been sick in her last few years of life. And before her passing a little over six months ago, Grams had managed to rack up quite a hospital bill. But Piper didn't care. She loved her Grams dearly and would have done it all over again if she had the choice.

Piper took a moment to survey the crowd. Seeing no potential accidents in sight, she took the moment to take a break.

But that was when she saw him, the Chinese man who told her about the sage yesterday. Making a quick decision before another accident could occur, Piper smoothed the black dress she was wearing and headed to the Chinese man who sat at the bar.

She slid into the seat next to him and said, "You were right."

The man swiveled around to look at her. The man gave her a quizzical look, and she explained, "About the risotto yesterday. It did need more sage."

The man smiled and answered in his lightly accented voice, "I know. My name is Mark. Mark Chang." He extended his hand.

She shook his hand and replied, "My name is Piper. Piper Halli---" She was cut off by the sound of waiter dropping his try and the sound of breaking glass. "---well," she said completing her sentence and wincing at the accident. She decided to ignore the accident. There was nothing she could do about it now.

Mark winced along with her. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to be rude of anything."

"Don't---" Piper was cut off once again, but this time by the sound of things crashing in the kitchen. Piper groaned and set her head in her hands.

Someone came running up quickly.

"Pip---"

"I'm coming," she said before the boy could finish saying her name. She looked at Mark. "I'm sorry," she said and got up.

Piper stormed into the kitchen. _This better be good,_ she thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark almost jumped out of his seat when he heard a voice say, "You were right."

Mark turned to look at her. He gave her a surprised look, almost believing she wasn't sitting next to him. She must have thought he was confused, because she explained, "About the risotto yesterday. It did need more sage."

Mark smiled and replied, "I know. My name is Mark. Mark Chang." He extended his hand.

She shook his hand and replied, "My name is Piper. Piper Halli---" She was cut off by the sound of waiter dropping his try and the sound of breaking glass. "---well," she said completing her sentence and wincing at the accident.

Mark winced along with her. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to be rude of anything."

"Don't---" Piper was cut off once again, but this time by the sound of things crashing in the kitchen. Piper groaned and set her head in her hands.

Someone came running up quickly.

"Pip---"

"I'm coming," she said before the boy could finish saying her name. She looked at Mark. "I'm sorry," she said and got up.

_I'm sorry too_, he mentally thought. He was sorry she had to go, but she had a job to do. Mark decided he would wait here until she was done, even if it took an hour. He had no one to go home to. He could go to his mother's, but she would just nag him about not finding a nice Chinese girl to marry yet. Mark loved his mother, but she just didn't understand he wanted to find someone on his own, someone who loved him for who he was, not just because he was Chinese.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Forty-five minutes later, Piper walked out of the kitchen, relieved she left no dead bodies behind her. God Bless Sarah; she was the only one who kept her sane.

Piper looked towards the bar, expecting Mark to be gone. So when she saw him looking at her and waving, she almost died of shock. She never, ever, met a man who would wait almost an hour for her.

She waved back at Mark, and headed to him. "I can't believe you're still here," she said.

Mark smiled. "I had a good reason to stay."

Piper smiled with delight._ She_ was the reason he had to stay.

Upon seeing her smile, Mark asked, "Have dinner with me tomorrow night."

Piper's face fell. "I would love to, but I'm working the dinner shift all week."

"How about lunch?"

Piper smiled again. "That would be wonderful."

"Tomorrow at eleven?"

"Sounds great." Piper wrote her address and phone number on a napkin and handed it to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Mark said, taking the napkin.

"Tomorrow. I have to get back to work. I'll see you." Piper walked off towards the kitchen.

Mark watched her as she walked away. She was so beautiful. She was one of those beauties who didn't know how beautiful she was, not like some of those women who knew they were beautiful and flaunted it. She also wore almost no makeup, which he liked. He'd seen some women wear enough makeup to knock a drag queen out of the running.

Mark was relieved he had the next day off of work. _Although_, he thought as he watched Piper helping a customer and she looked up at Mark and smiled, _I would be willing to miss a day for this_.

Mark gathered his stuff and left the restaurant. _I can't wait for tomorrow_, he thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note**: **I hope you liked. I know it's moving at a slow pace, but I promise some spice will be added soon. I need Piper and Mark's relationship to develop a little more.**

**Next Chapter: Piper's sisters are introduced and Piper and Mark's date.**


	3. The First Date

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 3: The First Date**

Piper woke up at eight, and immediately rushed to the bathroom to use the shower, barely beating her little sister, Phoebe. Phoebe pounded on the door. "Aw, come on, Piper! What are you in such a rush for? Got a hot date?" Phoebe laughed at her own joke.

That is why Phoebe stopped pounding on the door in shock when Piper replied, "Yes!" before hopping into the shower.

Phoebe immediately bounded into Prue's room, waking her up. "Piper's got a date… Piper's got a date…" she sing-songed.

Prue and Phoebe were now both at the door, asking Piper questions as she washed her hair and shaved her legs. Piper escaped into her room to change, still answering her sister's questions. After Piper changed into khaki pants and a light blue shirt with a matching sweater, she let her sisters into her room, where she immediately bombarded with a million questions.

"Hold on," she said pulling her hair into a half ponytail. "I'll tell you everything from the beginning."

By the time she finished telling them, she had her makeup done and it was only ten. Still two hours to go. Trying to get her sister's attention off of her, she turned to her older sister and asked, "How was your date with Andy?"

Prue smiled. "It was awesome. It was so romantic…" Prue went on talking about Andy, her high school sweetheart who was now an inspector for the San Francisco Police Department. After high school, Andy moved away and Prue stayed to help take care of Grams and her little sisters. A little over six months ago, Andy moved back to San Francisco and ran into Prue during one of Gram's many hospital stays. They had been dating ever since.

Piper smiled at her sister's enthusiasm over Andy. They were made for each other, and everyone knew it. Everyone except them it seemed, but it looked as if they were beginning to accept it. Piper was happy for her sister; Andy was a great guy.

It was only ten thirty, so Piper went downstairs and began to make some tea. Her sisters closely followed and Piper turned around and said, "What? Are you stalking me?"

"No, we just want to meet this Mark guy."

"Oh jeeze."

"Don't worry," Prue said. "We won't break out your naked baby pictures until the _second_ date."

Piper playfully punched her in the arm. "And what if I show Andy yours?"

"Nice try, Piper. You know he's already seen them. We grew up together for crying out loud. I think his mom even has one."

"Not fair," Piper said.

"Piper," Phoebe said. "I still have a copy of that picture we took of Prue when she came home smashed and couldn't stand up straight. You know, the one where she was arguing with the toilet because she thought it was talking back to her?" Piper laughed.

Prue narrowed her eyes. "No, you don't."

"Oh, yes I do."

"Give it to me."

"Nope!"

"Phoebe…"

Phoebe took off running and Prue chased her. Piper watched the scene unfold, laughing so hard she had to gasp for breath.

The doorbell rang and Phoebe, who was still being chased by Prue, ran to answer the door. She opened the door to find Piper's date on the front porch. Phoebe was still laughing and Prue stood behind her, trying to hold a straight face.

Phoebe, after a moment of silence, finally burst out laughing. "Yes?" she asked the stranger.

"Uh, is Piper here?" he said cautiously.

"Piper!" Phoebe called. "She'll be here in a second."

Mark just stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking back and forth from Phoebe and Prue, who stared at him. He felt very uncomfortable.

Piper walked from the kitchen to the front door and was surprised to see Mark. He was early. "Mark!" she said, her face lighting up in a smile. "You're early."

"I hope you don't mind," he said, smiling too.

"Not at all." Piper walked to the front door and had to pry Prue's hand from the door so she could get thru. "Mark, I would like you to meet my older sister, Prue, and my younger sister, Phoebe."

"Nice to meet you," Mark said, shaking their hands.

"Same here."

"Okay," Piper said. "Now that's over. Are you ready to go?" she asked Mark.

"Yep."

"See you guys later," Piper said to her sisters.

Phoebe made a kissing face behind Mark's back and Piper held up a warning finger to her. _Be nice,_ she mouthed.

_I am_, Phoebe mouthed back.

Piper made a face at her and turned back to Mark, who offered her his arm. She shyly took it, not used to being with a man who was so gentlemanly. Mark even opened the car door for her before jogging around to the driver's side. Piper couldn't help but smile.

"So where are we going for lunch," Piper asked, not really caring where they went.

"To this little outside café. I think you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will." Piper settled into the seat of the car. They drove the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Piper took turns looking at Mark and out the car window to sights she really didn't pay attention to. She was usually in too big of a hurry to take in the scenery. She never realized how beautiful San Francisco could be.

They soon pulled into the parking lot to a small outside café Piper never realized before. "This is cute," she commented, taking in the café's exterior.

Mark once again took her arm and led her to a table. Piper smiled as she sat down. A waiter soon came and took their orders.

As they waited, Piper and Mark began to talk, asking questions about each other and answering. Piper was surprised to find out Mark loved to cook.

"Love of cooking runs in my family. My grandfather emigrated from China to America and brought his family recipes with him. My father translated them after my Grandfather died, and used them in our family restaurant."

"Your family owns a restaurant?" Piper asked, once again surprised.

"Used to. But after my father died, the business sort of went down the tubes. No one in my family wanted to continue it."

Piper hung her head and looked into her tea. "I'm sorry about your dad. I know it's not easy losing a parent."

"I take it you know that from personal experience?"

"Yeah. My mom died when I was six and my dad split on us soon after. My sisters and I were raised by my grams, who died about six months ago. My sisters are the only family I have left."

"I'm sorry. My family isn't overly large, but there is enough of us to be there when we need it."

"Let's move off of this depressing subject. Tell me more about your family."

Mark laughed and went into details about his family.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark dropped Piper off at the manor. He held her hand as they walked to the door.

"I had a wonderful time today," Piper said, smiling.

"I did too," he said. "I call you when I get a chance," he said.

He was referring to the fact he worked days and she worked nights. By the time he got off of work, she was already at the restaurant.

Mark leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He smiled at her and turned around to leave. Piper placed a hand on her check where he kissed her.

"Mark, wait," Piper called. He turned around and before she knew what she was doing, Piper was kissing him on the lips, and he was kissing her back.

When they finally broke apart, they were both smiling. "Wow. That was…" Mark was at a loss for words.

"I agree," Piper said.

Mark looked at her beautiful smile. "I'll call you tonight, or maybe I'll stop in for dinner."

"I would like that."

"Okay then," he said. He kissed her again, and took a step backward to leave. But he didn't realize there was a step, and he almost fell backwards. He caught himself just in time."

Piper put a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"I'll see you later," he said, and continued walking backwards, watching her.

Piper waved, and then called out, "Watch out!" as he almost ran into a tree. He turned around just in time to avoid hitting it. He straightened himself out and waved on last time as he walked, forwards, to his car.

Piper watched as he drove away, and she went into the manor, the biggest smile on her face.

Her sisters immediately bombarded her with questions the minute she walked into the manor.

"So how was it?"

"Did he kiss you?"

"Where did he take you?"

"Did he kiss you?"

"Was he nice?"

"Did he kiss you?"

"You are hopeless, Phoebe," Piper said, finally responding to her sister's question of 'did he kiss you'.

"What? I want to know. So did he?"

Piper was silent for a moment and looked away as she sisters stared expectantly at her. She turned around to face them with a huge smile on her face. "Yes."

Phoebe and Prue squealed with delight, throwing Piper into a group hug.

"Can't breath…" she gasped and they released her. "Jeeze. It seems you guys are more excited about this than I am." _But not quite_, she mentally added.

"We're just happy to see you with a guy, that's all. You haven't dated since Jeremy, and you remember what an ass he was."

"Yeah, I kind of remember," Piper said, thinking of her ex. He was mean, vindictive, and Piper was glad to be rid of him.

After giving her sisters the details of her date, she went upstairs to her room and called Sarah, whom she promised she would call after her date.

After giving date details to Sarah, Sarah squealed, "You go girl!"

Piper just rolled her eyes. Then she explained the problem between her and Mark's work schedules.

"I have he perfect solution," Sarah announced.

"Sarah, I am not quitting," Piper said, trying to avoid an argument that had been going on between Sarah, Phoebe, Prue, and herself. They wanted her to quit and do something she truly wanted to do, but Piper couldn't afford to, not with Gram's hospital bills still coming in.

"Not that that isn't a good solution," Sarah said," but that's not what I had in mind."

"Okay then, what is it?"

"I will switch you the dinner shift for the morning shift."

Piper jumped up. "You would do that? Really?"

"Of course. Besides, I'm sure Tony," she said, referring to the assistant manager of Quake, "would love to tell you more boring stories about his family farm in Wisconsin."

Piper couldn't help but giggle. Tony was a good guy, but he had a tendency to get stuck on the same topic. Such as farms in Wisconsin.

"Sarah, I love. You are the best person in the world," Piper said, glad to have a solution to her problem. "I'm going to call Mark."

"Send him my regards," Sarah said before she hung up.

Piper was dialing Mark's number seconds after she hung up with Sarah. Piper was surprised how excited she was to be with Mark.

Was she falling for him?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: For those of you who think there is no drama yet, just hold on. Something big happens in the next chapter. Please read and Review. Thanks!**


	4. Keeping Her Away

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 4: Keeping Her Away**

Mark and Piper's relationship grew over the next few weeks. Piper tried to work the morning shift whenever she could, and if she couldn't, Mark would come for dinner at quake. Piper loved spending all the time she could with Mark. He made her feel special, made her feel like no other man had before. And Mark felt the same about Piper. If there was a day he didn't talk to her, it didn't seem complete. If he was unable to make it to dinner with her, he would call her, and they would spend hours on the phone.

Piper was finishing locking up the restaurant. She just said goodbye to Mark and was on her way to her car. She turned off the lights and locked the back door behind her. She was digging her car keys out of her purse when someone grabbed her from behind and put a hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream or make a move," the voice whispered. Piper nodded and tried not to panic. _If it's a mugger,_ she thought,_ just take my money and leave me alone._

But it wasn't a mugger. "Where is she?" he demanded.

Piper, unable to answer due to the hand over her mouth, didn't know how to respond. She who?

He held the knife to her throat. "Where is she?! Where is Sky?" he demanded, getting angrier.

Piper was confused. Sky, her waitress? Piper tried to answer, but his hand still muffled her voice.

He seemed to notice this time. "I'm going to take my hand away. If you scream, I'll kill you."

Piper nodded and he took his hand away. "She left."

The man pressed her against the wall and covered her mouth once again. "Bitch, don't lie to me! You've been keeping her way from me, haven't you? Haven't you?!"

Piper shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. He began to shake her, and her head hit the wall behind her. Mustering her strength, Piper pushed him away.

She screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to run. But the man had quickly regained his balance and came after her again.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark, who had stopped at a newspaper stand to grab a paper, heard the scream. Not knowing who it was, he ran in the direction of the scream. He heard two more screams and he felt a chill run down his spine.

It was coming from Quake.

His only thoughts were on Piper. He sprinted towards the back of the building where he heard a scream being chocked off. When he reached the back of the building, he saw a man choking Piper.

Unsure of what to do, Mark called out, "Hey!"

The man turned to face him, and Piper used those few seconds to crawl away.

But the man noticed, and swung the knife at her. Mark, who saw the knife coming down in an arc, jumped on the back of the man. The man rolled to the right as Piper rolled to the left, and the knife only grazed her hand.

The man shook Mark off of him, took one last look at Piper, and ran in the opposite direction.

Piper, shaking heavily, leaned against the wall and held her bleeding hand close to her. Mark stood up and went to her, kneeling next to her. He put his jacket around her shaking shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Are you okay?" he asked, holding her face in his hands.

"I think so," she replied, and looked down at her hand. As she did, a good amount of blood fell onto her lap.

"No, you're not," Mark said. "I'm taking you to the hospital for stitches, and then we will call the police."

Piper just nodded in response and Mark helped her to her feet. He then gathered her purse and car keys and led her to the car. After she was situated in the passenger seat, he hopped in the driver's seat and raced to the hospital.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Three hours later, Piper was in the suture room, with Mark holding her hand. Andy was outside her room, waiting for Prue and Phoebe to arrive. After questioning Piper, he had called Prue. That was a conversation to be remembered:

"Prue? It's Andy. Now I don't want you to panic, everything is fine."

"Andy, the only time people say that is if everything is _not_ fine."

"Piper was attacked and it getting stitches…"

Andy was replied by the dial tone in his ear.

In the suture room, Piper was being stitched up by a surgeon. Mark held her other hand and Piper looked at him.

"Thanks for coming to the rescue."

Mark smiled. "No problem. I'm just glad you're okay."

Piper smiled back. "Me too."

"Alrighty then," the surgeon said, taking off his latex gloves. "It's done. Just keep it dry for the next four to five days and don't use it for any excessive work. Okay?"

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'm going to go fill out some paperwork and then you can leave." He walked out of the room, leaving Piper and Mark alone.

Piper scooted over in the bed and allowed Mark to sit next to her. He put her arms around her and she laid her head on his chest. Hearing his heartbeat through his shirt was a comfort to her.

Mark had his arms around her, grateful to feel her breathing. Mark was about to say something important to Piper, but her sister, Prue, came bursting into the room.

"Oh my God, Piper! Are you alright?" Prue was at her sister's bedside, smoothing back her hair.

Mark began to get off the bed to give the sisters some privacy, but Piper kept holding his hand, not letting him go. He laid back down next to her.

"I'm fine, Prue."

Prue spent the next ten minutes doing the concerned big sister act, demanding Andy to tell her what happened, and if they caught the guy yet.

"No, we haven't caught him yet." Looking at Piper's desperate face, Andy asked Prue, "How about you sign Piper out and take her home. I'm sure she's exhausted." Andy led Prue to the front desk to sign Piper out.

"That was easier than I thought," Piper said.

"Easy? I think your sister is capable of murder right now."

"I know, but that's just the way she is. She's very protective of her family."

"I can see."

Both laid on the bed, holding each other, until Prue came back in, telling them all the papers were signed and it was time to take Piper home.

Prue and Piper drove to the manor in Prue's SUV, while Mark followed them in Piper's car. On the ride home, Piper realized how unsafe she felt with out Mark near her. He wasn't the strongest person, but his presence made her feel safe.

Prue soon pulled into the driveway, followed closely by Mark. Piper was barely out of the car before Phoebe came flying out of the house and had her in a huge hug. She made a fuss over Piper before letting her walk into the house.

For the first time since being attacked, Piper looked at the sky. It was dark, but it was beginning to get light. "Prue, what time is it?"

"Almost four in the morning. Why?"

"Just wondering."

Everybody was soon in the house. Phoebe, after giving Piper one last hug, headed back upstairs to sleep. Prue, who had to be to work at six, headed to the kitchen to make coffee. "I'm going to need it," she said with a yawn.

Mark stood at the doorway, watching the sisters. When Prue and Phoebe were gone, Piper turned to Mark. "I don't know how to thank you…" Mark kissed her, stopping her in mid-sentence.

When they finally broke apart, mark leaned his forehead on hers and whispered goodbye. But before they could break physical contact, Piper pleaded, "Mark, don't leave. Please."

He kissed her again, and she led him up to her bedroom. Once there, Piper rummaged around in her drawers until she found an old pair of flannel pants of Mark to wear. Mark turned around and began to change, so Piper faced the other way and began to change into her pajamas, careful to avoid hurting her hand any further.

Once both were dressed, they hopped into Piper's bed. Mark laid on his back with Piper's head on his chest and her arms circled around his waist.

They maintained a comfortable silence, holding each other, until Mark asked, "Were you scared?"

The question came out of nowhere, but Piper knew what he was talking about. "Terrified. When he attacked me, all I could hear was the blood rushing to my head. My heart was beating fast. I really thought he would kill me. And the only thought going through my head at the time was the thought I may never see my sisters, or my friends again. Or you," she said, and hugged him closer.

Mark and Piper lay there, holding each other under the warm covers, until they began to drift off to sleep. Before he fell asleep, Mark called Piper's name.

"Yeah?" she answered, her voice thick with sleep.

"I love you," he said.

Piper's eyes shot wide open in surprise and she sat up to look at him better. "Mark, what did you say?" she asked, but received no answer. "Are you awake?"

The only response Piper received was the steady rise and fall of his chest, indicating sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: A little hint: the mugger comes back. Next chapter will have a little zeal between Piper and Mark. Please read and review, I appreciate all comments. **


	5. Promises

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chapter 5: Promises 

Mark was the first one to wake in the morning. He looked down at the sleeping, beautiful Piper in his arms. He tried to recalled what he said last night before he fell asleep, and he almost gasped with surprise. Had he really spilled out his heart to her last night? He looked down at her peaceful face, and a smile broke out on his. As a response, the sleeping Piper smiled and began to move around and stretch. She soon cracked one eye open and looked at him.

"Good morning," she said to him with a yawn.

"Good morning to you, sleepy head."

She shifted to face him and inched up until she could reach his lips. After giving him a kiss, she laid back down on his chest and began playing with the necklace around his neck. It was a gold, flat, coin-looking thing with a red figure on the front that looked somewhere between a lion and a dragon.

"What is this?" she asked, twirling the necklace between her fingers.

"It's a Chinese symbol believed to ward away evil spirits and ghosts. My mother gave it to me shortly after my father died."

"Oh," was all she said, and she flipped it over to see his initials engraved in the back. Piper once again began flipping the necklace back and forth once again, avoiding the subject that was really on her mind.

Mark, seeming to sense her unease, grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth. He gently kissed it, sending chills up her spine.

Piper, finding confidence in his sure movements, took a deep breath and asked, "Mark, about what you said last night… did you mean it?"

He was silent for a few seconds as he kept kissing her hand. Piper began to think it was a fluke, something said after a frightening ordeal. But when Mark answered, her spirits lifted.

"Yes, I meant it. I just didn't expect to say it so soon."

Piper smiled and began kissing him. In between one of their many kisses, Piper managed to let out a breathless, "I love you too."

Before she knew what was happening, his hands were roaming all over her body, as were hers on his.

Mark broke them apart, giving Piper a questioning look that asked, _Are you ready?_

In response, Piper kissed Mark more passionately and helped him tug off her shirt.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Work had defiantly been out of the question yesterday. But today was not yesterday. Piper stood among the hustle and bustle of quake, glad to see some things never change. Her sisters, Mark, and Sarah had been on her case about going back to work, especially to a job she didn't particularly like. Even Mark was beginning to pester her about finding a new job.

Mark. A smile broke out on her face whenever she thought about him. Last night had been wonderful, apart from being attacked. Mark had to be the most wonderful man on earth. No one could touch like that…

If he hadn't had to go into work today, Piper sure as hell wouldn't be standing in the middle of the crowed restaurant. They would be back in a nice warm bed…

_No use dreaming about that_, she told her self. There's work to be done. The first step was to find Sky and talk to her. Piper knew the police talked to her shortly after Piper had been attacked, but Piper wanted to hear what Sky had to say firsthand.

She soon found the waitress, handing out drinks to an elderly couple in the back of the restaurant. Piper waited until they had their drinks in had and quietly pull Sky to the side. "Can I speak to you?" she asked.

Sky nodded her head and handed the couples' order to the chef before following Piper to a small office in the back of the restaurant. Piper barely had a chance to close the door before Sky launched into a full blown apology. "I'm so sorry about what Toby did to you. See, I broke up with him the night before and he didn't take it well. Please don't be mad at me. I never, ever thought he would do something like this…"

Piper had to put a finger up to get Sky to quiet down for a second. "It's okay, I don't blame you. I just wanted to know what was going on. Just tell me from the beginning."

Sky launched into the long version of her and Toby's relationship, but Piper was mentally making a cliff notes version: guy meets girl, girl breaks up with guy, guy goes psycho and tries to kill her boss. Nothing unusual, right?

Piper wouldn't have thought too much about what Sky told her if it hadn't been for what happened as Sky stood up to leave. Sky stood up and extended her arm to turn the doorknob. As she did so, Sky's long sleeve of her blouse rose up about four inches, and Piper could see vivid purple marks on her arm.

Piper quickly snatched up Sky's arm, pushing up her sleeve more. "What is this?" she asked, finally looking at Sky's face. What she saw shocked her. Sky's face was bunched up tight, with her free arm covering her face, as if she were expecting Piper to strike her.

Piper led her to a chair and made her sit down. Piper sat in a chair next to her and only then did Sky visibly relax.

"You thought I was going to hit you."

"No, I didn't," Sky claimed, looking away from Piper.

"He hit you, didn't he? Toby would hit you."

"No! Never! He was very sweet and gentle."

"Oh yeah? Then how did you get those bruises?"

"I, um, fell down my apartment stairs."

"Sky, you live on the first floor," Piper recalled, remembering the time she took Sky home from work.

"Well, I…"

"Sky, those are not accidental bruises. Those are bruises from someone manhandling you. Why else would you react that way when I grabbed your arm?"

Sky now had tears silently running down her face.

"Oh, honey," Piper said, pulling her into a hug. "Why don't we tell the police? My sister's boyfriend is an inspector…"

But Sky was shaking her head fiercely. "Please don't. I'm over him. I want nothing more to do with him. Going to the police is just going to stir up stuff best left settled."

"But what if he comes after you again?"

"He won't."

"You can't be sure."

"Piper, just promise me you will leave the police out of this?"

Seeing the desperate look on her face, Piper decided to promise. If need be, she could always break that promise later. "I promise."

Sky let out a sigh and got up to return to work.

"Sky," Piper called and she turned around. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. And I mean _anything_."

She nodded and headed out of the office.

Piper sighed and began to rub her temples. This was the last thing she expected. What a wonderful day back at work. She felt kind of guilty for promising not to tell, but she decided she would tell someone the moment it became dangerous.

Piper headed back out into the restaurant. She looked over the restaurant, looking for any possible disasters or collisions waiting to happen. When her eyes landed on the bar, her face broke out into a huge grin.

Mark was sitting there, and when he saw her looking, he waved. Piper quickly walked over to him, glad he was there.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss on his lips.

"Of course,' he said when they broke apart. "Did you think I was going to let you go home alone after what happened last time?"

"I talked to Sky today," she said, and he looked at her expectantly. She looked around and saw all the people around her. "I'll tell you later when we have some privacy."

"Okay. How about we go to your house after you get off?"

"No. Just in case Prue has Andy over."

Mark raised his eyebrows in mild alarm. "Okay, I don't like the sound of that. How about I take you to my place?"

"Sounds wonderful," she said, planting another kiss on his lips. She went back off to work.

Mark turned around, once again facing the bar. _This can't be good_, he thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark unlocked the door to his apartment and stood back, allowing Piper to enter first.

"This is nice," Piper commented, taking in to rich interior and the abundance of live plants.

"Thanks," he said. "I'm going to go change. I'll be back in a minute."

As he went into his room, Piper went to the bookstand and looked at a little bamboo plant in a glazed terra cotta pot. She then moved on to examine the jade plant and the ivy hanging from a hook in the ceiling.

Mark soon came out, changed from his dress pants into a pair of comfortable jeans. They both sat down on the couch, Mark with his arms around Piper and her head lying on his chest. "So tell me what Sky told you. You had me worried in the restaurant."

Piper took a breath and told him all the details of what happened with Sky, including her promise not to go to the police.

"Piper…" Mark said when he heard of her promise.

She sat up and looked him in the face. "Mark, I know it wasn't the smartest thing, but I promise I will tell the police the minute it gets dangerous."

Mark kissed her. "Alright, but I still don't like the thought of that. Just promise me you will be careful and someone the minute it gets dangerous."

"I promise," she said, sealing it with a kiss.

As Piper settled back down into a comfortable position on his chest, she felt a sense of impending doom. The more she thought of the promise she made to Sky, the more she felt as if she were jumping head first in a pit of darkness that would only lead her to pain. She had no idea how right she was.


	6. Late Night Phone Call

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 6: Late Night Phone Call**

The next two weeks proved to be uneventful, even though Piper still had the feeling of impending doom. She now worked days at the restaurant, much to the relief of Mark and her sisters. Now they worried a little less about her being attacked, but one of them usually managed to show up as she got off work, usually Phoebe, who was currently unemployed. Piper hated being babied like this, but she knew they were only doing it because they loved her.

Piper opened the door to Mark's apartment using the key he kept under the mat. Mark called earlier to tell her some one had broke into the lab, so he wouldn't be home until late. Piper just hoped everything was okay.

Piper laid her coat over the back of her chair and headed towards the kitchen. Mark's apartment now felt like a second home, and she seemed to spend more time here than at the manor. No one seemed to mind, really. Mark loved it when she spent the night, as did she, and her sisters were thrilled to see her with a great guy.

Piper grabbed herself a snack and curled up on the couch to read a book both Mark and she were reading. She was currently a chapter ahead of him and planned on finishing before him.

Piper read for hours until her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open and she fell into blissful sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper's eyes flew open when she heard the constant ring of the telephone. She struggled out of the blanket she had thrown over herself and headed towards the insistently ringing phone. Her first reaction was that is was Mark calling, since she saw no evidence of him arriving home yet.

She picked up the phone and gave a groggy hello.

"Piper?" the person on the other end asked.

"Sky?" Piper asked. She looked at the clock on the nearby microwave and it read 1:32. "It's one-thirty in the morning. What's wrong?"

"I'm scared."

"Why? Is he there?"

"No, I just… I don't know. I don't want to be alone. I'm afraid he'll come." Piper could hear the panic in her voice. Something was wrong. Something terrified this girl.

"Sky, I want you to calm down. I'm going to come right over, okay? Don't answer the door for anybody except me, okay?"

"Okay," Sky mumbled.

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Piper hung up and hurriedly scribbled a note to Mark. She grabbed her coat and car keys and was on her way to Sky's.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark was struggling to keep his eyes open. Someone had broken into the lab earlier that day, and all the employees were being kept for questioning. After the crime scene investigators finished with the lab, the employees still had to clean up. There were may chemicals and experiments strewn about the lab that had to cleaned up, documented, and thrown away.

In simple terms, it was going to be one long night. Mark, after obtaining permission from a police officer, went to call Piper. Even though it was a little after one-thirty in the morning, Mark wanted to let her know he was okay, and to make sure she was home safely. Ever since she was attacked, he worried about her every second she was out of his sight.

The phone kept ringing and ringing until the answering machine picked up. Assuming Piper was asleep, Mark headed back to the room where the employees were being kept. On his way back, he ran into Andy and his partner, Darryl Morris.

"Mark," Andy greeted him amiably. "We've released the scene, so you guys are free to do your thing and go home. Tell Piper Darryl and I said hello."

Mark gave a grateful thank you and hurried to help clean up so he could go home to Piper.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was a good twenty-minute trip to Sky's apartment, even with traffic being at a bare minimum at this time of night. Piper parked her car and headed towards her apartment. Piper was surprised to find the security doors propped opened. Instead of having to wait for Sky to buzz her in, Piper could just walk right in. So could anybody else. Piper's heart constricted in fear, and she realized she should have followed her gut instinct and called the police. Piper slowly made her way to Sky's apartment, the last one on the left side of the hall.

When she reached it, the front door was wide open and the apartment was totally dark. "Sky?" she nervous called.

She heard a muffled cry just before something smacked her on the back of the head.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: Interesting yet? Please read and review. Read on to discover what has happened to Piper. Will Mark come to her rescue, or will he be too late?**


	7. Falling Knives

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 7: Falling Knives**

Piper distantly heard moans. It took a few minutes for her to open her eyes and to realize the moans were coming from her. She tried to move, but it was impossible. Not only did every little movement send waves of pain to her head, she was bound at her ankles and wrists by duct tape.

She heard muffled crying from the other side of the room, so she turned her body and saw Sky huddled in the corner of the room, curled into the fetal position.

"Sky?" Piper moaned. Her head was killing her.

Sky turned towards Piper. "Piper, I'm so sorry. I never meant to drag you into this."

"Into what?" she asked. The conversation was cut short by a dark figure looming over her. The lights in the apartment were still off, but she could tell the figure was Toby, her attacker and Sky's abusive boyfriend.

"Bitch," Toby growled. He slapped her across the face and Piper gave a gasp of surprise. "Always interfering, aren't you? Well, how about I do you like I did little Miss Priss over there?" He indicated to Sky, who lay whimpering on the ground. For the first time, Piper realized Sky was half naked.

Toby pressed himself on top of Piper, who was lying on the couch, and began ripping off her shirt. Piper wriggled under his touch, trying to avoid him, but he was too strong, too powerful. Fear gripped Piper, and there was nothing she could do to stop Toby from raping her as he did Sky.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It was after two when Mark finally arrived home. Looking forward to a nice warm bed with Piper next to him was the only thing that kept him from falling asleep on his feet. He unlocked the apartment door and walked in. He threw his jacket onto the kitchen chair, and as he did a white piece of paper fluttered from the table to the floor. He picked it up and instantly recognized Piper's handwriting. It read:

Mark,

Sky called and she sounded terrified. I'm

going over to her apartment. Call me on

my cell as soon as you get home.

Love,

Piper

Mark hurried to the phone to call Piper. Her cell rang a few times before switching to voice mail. Mark hung up and tried calling again, but the call went immediately to voice mail. Between the few seconds on making both calls, someone had shut off Piper's phone. And Mark was willing to bet everything it wasn't Piper.

Mark made a short call to Andy before rushing out to his car to go to Sky's. He knew where she lived because he and Piper had given her a ride home a few days after Piper had been attacked.

On his way to Sky's Mark just prayed to find Piper safe and unharmed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper was lying on her back, her hands taped behind her, with Toby lying on top of her. He had the same knife he sliced her hand with and was lightly drawing marks on her chest and throat. Not with enough pressure to penetrate the skin, but enough to scare Piper shitless.

"I think I'm going to have fun with you," he said.

"Please, don't," Piper quietly pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

"Please, don't," he said, imitating her voice. "Why should I? It's going to hurt you a lot more than it will hurt me." He gave a deep, throaty chuckle.

He now had her shirt completely off, and was now working on her pants. Piper began to struggle underneath him, trying to get him off of her.

"You a feisty one, aren't you?" he asked, laughing. "Sorta like Sky, before I taught her whose boss." He pinned her shoulders down and put his weight on her shoulders. "It'll be easier if you don't struggle," he whispered in her ear. Then he licked the side of her face, making Piper cry and struggle harder.

He was sitting on top of her, attempting to take off her pants when unmistakable sound of gun safety's being taken off. He looked up and two cops had their guns poised at him, ready to shoot. "Freeze!" they shouted when he attempted to move.

"Put your hands slowly above your head!" He slowly raised his hands, still holding the knife.

"Drop the knife!" Toby looked menacingly at Piper, then to the knife, then back to Piper. A slow smile spread across his face.

Andy was the first to realize what his plan was. He was going to quickly stab Piper. "Don't!" Andy shouted, but the knife was already falling, and Andy was already running.


	8. All Star Tackle

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 8: All Star Tackle **

When she heard Andy's voice, Piper would have given a shout of joy if she hadn't been crying so hard. She heard Andy and his partner, Darryl, shouting out commands and Toby surprisingly following them. It wasn't until Toby raised his hand with the knife and looked menacingly at her, did she realize something was wrong.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Andy and Darryl instructed Mark to wait outside, but when he heard Andy's shout of 'don't', he raced in the room, just in enough time to see Andy make one of the best tackles ever. The tackle Andy made on Toby would have made professional football players envious.

Andy and Toby flew halfway across the room, finally landing with a thud. Andy immediately had Toby flat on his stomach, slapping on handcuffs, and reciting the Miranda warning.

Darryl went over to help his partner, and Mark went to the couch where Piper lay crying. He picked up a knife that lay harmless on the floor and cut the tape that bounded Piper's wrists and ankles.

Piper immediately threw her arms around Mark's neck. She began sobbing into his chest. He just held her close, thankful she was alive. As she cried and he held her, Mark couldn't help but let a tear run down his face.

After Piper calmed a bit, Mark took off his jacket and wrapped her in it, covering her half-exposed body. Darryl did the same to Sky, wrapping her in a blanket he got from one of the EMS people that just arrived.

Mark and Piper both watched through the window with some satisfaction as Andy put Toby into a police car, making sure he hit his head as he was put in the car.

Mark put his right arm around Piper's waist as they watched the proceedings go on below. Sky, now through with her exam by the paramedics, joined them at the window. She laid her head on Piper's shoulder and all three watched as Darryl drove Toby to the police station. Andy slowly began making his way up to the apartment.

Andy stayed behind to take witness to the police stations to take statements. As he was entering the apartment, the paramedics were leaving with Sky. Having checked out Piper and diagnosing her with a bruise on her face from being slapped by Toby, the paramedics were leaving to take Sky to the hospital to have a rape test performed.

Andy stood in front of Mark and Piper, who were hugging each other closely. He hated to see Piper hurting like this; she was practically a sister to him.

"Piper?" he softly called, and she turned her tear-stained face to him. "Are you okay?"

Piper just shrugged her shoulders, unsure how to answer. A man attacked her, tried to rape her, and attempted to kill her, all in the same day. How was she supposed to feel?

Andy twirled his cell phones in his hands, dreading having to call Prue and tell her what happened to Piper.

"Andy," Piper said and he turned to her. "It would be easier if you press the buttons."

Andy didn't know what she was talking about. Then he looked down at his hands where he still held the cell phone. "Oh. I was just contemplating the best way to tell your sister. Not a conversation I look forward to."

"I don't blame you," Mark said with earnest.

"Andy, don't call her. All I want to do is go home and sleep. I'll call her tomorrow and tell her, but if I tell her now, it will be another three days before she shuts up long enough to let me sleep."

Mark and Andy looked at her in surprise. Piper never talked about her sisters in a negative way. Piper, seeing their looks, said, "I love my sister dearly, but you know as well as I do that she worries too much."

"True," Andy said. "How about you come down to the station tomorrow to give your statements? I think the best thing for you now would be to get some sleep."

"Thanks," Piper said and walked out of the apartment with Mark holding her hand.

The car ride to Mark's apartment was silent. Piper leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the car window, trying to take in the events of the night.

Mark looked over at her every few seconds, worried she was going to have a break down. Except for crying when Mark, Andy, and Darryl had first shown up, Piper had shown no emotion since.

He noticed she was shaking, even though she wore his jacket, so he turned up the heat in the car. It didn't seem to help; she was still shaking uncontrollably.

Mark soon pulled up to his apartment and pulled to a stop. Piper still sat in the same position against the window, shaking. Mark helped her out of the car and she leaned on him as they walked up to his third floor apartment.

Piper still hadn't said a word when they walked into the apartment. She changed into her pajamas and got under the covers of the bed, still shaking. Mark quickly followed her, changing into his pajamas and lying in bed next to her. Piper wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest.

Mark held her close, happy she was finally showing some emotion. She cried for a few minutes, but finally calmed down.

"I love you Mark," Piper said. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't know what would have happened to me. You saved me, once again."

Mark held her close. "I love you too."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper was the first one to wake up in the morning. Surprisingly, she felt awake. Sore and uneasy, but awake. She looked over at the sleeping Mark and kissed him lightly as not to wake him. Then she quietly slipped out of bed and shivered with cold as she left the warm blankets.

Her first stop was the bathroom. Piper quickly turned the shower on to as scalding hot she could stand. She began scrubbing herself, adding more soap until the bottle was empty. She felt dirty and unclean, as if Toby left an invisible film on her. She scrubbed harder and harder until her shoulder began to bleed. She dropped the sponge and washed off her quickly bleeding shoulder. She watched as the bright red blood swirled into a funnel and was sucked down the drain.

Wishing she could linger under the warm shower, but knowing she couldn't, Piper flipped off the warm water, letting icy cold-water rain down on her before turning off the shower.

Piper dressed in jeans, a white tee shirt, and a zip-up red fleece sweater. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and looked into the mirror. Except for being slightly pale, she looked like normal Piper. But she didn't feel normal. She felt exposed, vulnerable.

She headed out of the bathroom and found Mark in the kitchen. "Good morning," he said, giving her a kiss.

"Good morning to you, too," she replied, kissing him back.

"Do you know how disappointing it is to wake up in the morning and find you gone?"

Piper just smiled and poured herself a cup of tea. Mark fell silent and looked at her. "What?" Piper asked.

"Andy called. He wants you to come down to the station to give a statement."

"Oh," Piper said, emotionlessly.

"And your sister called."

"Oh," she said with a little more emotion.

Mark grabbed one of her hands. "I'll be with you the whole time."

"Thanks," she said, a squeezed his hand in return.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Two hours later, Piper was at the station, giving a statement to Andy. Mark was with her, along with a pissed off Prue and a concerned Phoebe. The looks Prue gave Andy the whole time were hardly ones of love.

Piper gave her statement, and as they were leaving, Toby was being taken to be processed. Toby saw her and nodded his head at her, a sick smile on his face.

Prue, beyond pissed now, took a threatening step towards Toby. But Andy and Mark held her back before she could do anything rash. Toby just laughed and the cops took him away.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

But as this took place, no one noticed the Chinese man who stood in the corner, shoulders hunched, hoping not to be noticed. His intent gaze focused on Mark, who remained unaware. The Chinese man laughed silently, finally recognizing his victim.


	9. Meet the Changs

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 9: Meet the Changs**

On May 19th, Toby probably made the smartest decision of his life. He pleaded guilty to rape, attempted rape, and assault. He would be spending the next twenty years wearing an orange jumper courtesy of the city of San Francisco.

When Piper heard the news, she felt as if a heavy burden was lifted off her chest. She felt free for the first time in months. She no longer was terrified to walk out to her car after dark, in fear some one would attack her. She was able to be herself again, not having to look over her shoulder. Everyone noticed the change and welcomed back the old, happy Piper.

Mark celebrated with her, happy the bastard was being put where he belonged, but today his heart wasn't in it. He opened the door to his apartment and headed towards the kitchen where Piper was baking another one of her delicious treats.

"Hey there," he said, hugging her from behind and kissing her cheek. "What's cooking?"

"Just some muffins. Prue has a office meeting tomorrow and asked me if I would make some stuff." She turned around and kissed him. She noticed his worried expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Mark took a breath and said, "My mother called me today."

Piper just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"She wants us to come for dinner with the family on Tuesday."

"And…" Piper said, not quite understanding why he was worried.

"That's it."

"Oh. And this is a big deal because…?"

"It's just that my family's not exactly…normal."

"Like mine is?" Piper asked, laughing. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

_I hope so_, he thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark walked around to the passenger side of the car and helped Piper out. She was wearing a black knee-length skirt and a red blouse that brought out the tone of her skin.

Mark held her hand as they walked up to the front porch. Just before they opened the door, Mark said, "Piper, I just want you t know I love you, so regardless of whatever my family says…"

Piper ran her fingers through his hair. "It'll be fine. Just stop worrying. They're your family."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Piper just laughed. "Relax," she told him.

Mark finally smiled and was just about to kiss her when someone cleared their throat. Piper looked up to see a man standing in the doorway. "Hello, Uncle," Mark replied. The man didn't reply; he just turned around and walked back into the house. Mark sighed and hung his head. "Here we go."

Suddenly, all the good feelings Piper had about meeting his family were washed away. She now realized how different his family was, how different the Chinese culture was.

She just hoped she would fit in.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour later everyone was seated around the table, eating dinner. Mark sat next to Piper and held her hand under the table. This wasn't going as well as he hoped. Thankfully, Piper didn't speak Chinese. His relatives weren't exactly saying the nicest things about Piper.

But Mark was proud of Piper. She was nice to his family, even when they were rude. But out of all the uneasiness around the table, Piper managed to receive Ming-na's, Mark's mother, approval. Mark suspected it had something to do with Piper's knowledge of Chinese cuisine and the ability to use chopsticks. But as for the rest of his family, that was a different story.

When it was finally time to clean up dishes, Mark left Piper at the table to help his mother. Piper made began to stand up and help, but Mark motioned for her to sit down. Mark followed his mother into the kitchen, carrying an armload of dishes. As his mother washed the dishes and he dried, they had a conversation in rapid-fire Chinese.

"Mark, she is a nice woman, but she is not Chinese."

"So?" Mark replied.

"So?! No one in our family has ever dated someone who was not Chinese."

"Well, maybe it's time for that to change."

"Mark, what would your father think? You need to get over this girl."

"I think Dad would have agreed with me on this. And I'm not going to get over her. I love her."

His mother dried off her hands, tired of arguing. "I won't argue anymore. If this is the girl you chose, then so be it. But don't expect everyone else to be so understanding," she warned.

_Oh geeze,_ Mark thought and walked back out to where Piper was sitting.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper sat uneasily at the table. Mark's relatives stared at her, smiled, and would say something in Chinese to he person next to them. _Probably discussing how much they hate me_, Piper thought. She hoped Mark was fairing off better in the kitchen, but apparently not, since she heard escalated voices talking in rapid Chinese. She had no doubt what the heated topic of the discussion was.

She felt very uneasy as his relatives gave her another sly smile and started talking in Chinese again. _Damn Spanish,_ Piper thought._ Why did I take Spanish?_ Now she knew why Mark was so uneasy about introducing her to his family. They apparently didn't take well to people who weren't Chinese.

Needless to say, when Mark came out of the kitchen, announcing it was time for them to get home since they both had to work the next morning, Piper was relieved. Mark and Piper quickly said their good-byes and headed towards the car.

The ride back to Mark's apartment was quiet. It wasn't one of those comfortable silences, like the ones Piper and Mark usually have. This was an uncomfortable silence, one where it seemed you could reach out and grab the tension in the air.

They pulled up to Mark's apartment and sat in the car, staring out the windshield. They sat in silence, the car still running.

Piper broke the silence. "Your family doesn't like me," she said, her eyes filling up with tears.

Mark turned off the car and faced her. "That's not true. My mom likes you, it's just…"

"What?"

"You're not Chinese," he said simply.

"So?"

Mark once again faced the windshield and put his hand on the steering wheel. "For generations, my family has always followed the same traditions, the same rules. One of those includes marrying a Chinese girl. No one in my family has ever strayed from that tradition."

"Oh," Piper said, looking out the side window. She blinked back her tears.

Mark, seeing her distress, reached out a hand and touched her cheek. "But I don't care. I love you too much to give you up."

Piper faced him a huge smile on her face. 'Really?"

"Really," he said as his lips pressed firmly over hers.

Soon they were both out of the car, continuously kissing each other. They made it up the stairs to the building, through the security doors, up the stairs to Mark's third floor apartment, and to his front door with out breaking the kiss.

Piper was leaning against his apartment door, laughing. Mark worked the key around her body and unlocked the door. Piper laughed even harder when she almost fell backwards as the door opened. Mark happened to catch her by the waist just in time.

Piper was still laughing, but the laughter died on her lips as Mark turned on the lights and she took a look around the apartment. Papers were strewn everywhere, drawers were emptied and turned upside down.

"What the hell?!" Mark exclaimed. "Piper, go call Andy."

Piper just nodded and headed to the kitchen to call Andy. _Why the hell does stuff keep happening to us,_ she wondered.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Three hours later, the police were cleaning up and leaving. Andy walked up to Piper and Mark who stood together in a corner of the room, arms wrapped around each other.

"We're done here," Andy told them.

"Thanks," Mark said.

"Piper, Mark, I don't think it's safe for you to stay here tonight. Maybe you should stay the night at the manor."

"Why? The burglar already robbed the apartment. Why would he come back tonight?"

"I'm not so sure this was an ordinary burglary."

"Why?"

"Mark, you said the only things missing were some clothes and your birth certificate?"

"Yes."

"That's not a normal burglary. Burglars are usually after things worth money, things they can pawn off. Clothes and birth certificates don't fall under that category. That's why I think this was a personal crime."

Piper looked at Mark, concern in her eyes. "Mark, he had a point. Maybe we should stay with my sisters for the night." Piper suddenly felt unsafe in the apartment.

"Alright," he said, much to Piper's relief. "We'll just clean up and then go over there."

Andy said good-bye, telling them he would see them when they arrived at the manor. Piper and Mark began cleaning up the apartment.

The whole time, Andy's words rang through Piper's head. _A personal crime… a personal crime… a personal crime…_ Piper had a feeling in her heart that something was going to happen to Mark, something bad.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed, I appreciate it! Your reviews are what keep this story coming. **

**For those of you who are wondering, I think the next chapter will be Mark's last (sob, sob). For those of you who asked not to make this fic a Piper and Leo one, I'm sorry, but that's the way I planned it. **

**I appreciate your comments and I hope you review.**


	10. One Last 'I Love You'

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 10: One Last 'I love you'**

Mark and Piper spent a week at the manor. As much as Piper enjoyed spending time with her sisters, she was grateful when she and Mark moved back into the peacefulness of his apartment. They hadn't made sense of the robbery yet, and the police were just as confused.

It was a bleak Tuesday morning, skies overcast and gray. It was like this when Piper and Mark woke up, and it seemed as if it were going to persist all day.

But Piper didn't care. She got up this morning, threw on some clothes, and began to make breakfast for Mark as he took his shower.

Today was special; today was Mark's birthday. He had a special dinner planned for them at a fancy restaurant across town. Mark had a surprise planned, and no matter how much she pestered him, he refused to tell her what it was. The only thing he told her was not to get him a present. His surprise was for both of them.

So as Piper made breakfast, a smile lit up her face. Mark, coming in from his shower, his hair still wet, saw her smile. "Well someone's in a good mood today," he commented.

"Well, you should be," she said, planting him a kiss on the lips. "It's your birthday."

"I know," he said, returning her kiss. "Something smells good," he commented and Piper served him breakfast.

Half an hour later, Mark was ready to leave for work. At the door to the apartment, he gave Piper a kiss. "I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied and closed the door after kissing him again.

After he was gone, Piper grabbed her cup of tea and walked to the balcony. It was a little chilly, but the air was crisp and fresh and made Piper feel good. She watched as Mark headed out of the apartment build and towards work. As if he sensed her watching him, he turned around and waved. Piper waved back and smiled. She watched as his retreating back became a small dot in the distance.

Little did she know it would be the last time she saw him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper left an hour after Mark for work. Quake was full of people, but Piper didn't care. She just wanted her day to end as quickly as possible so she could get home to Mark.

She opened the door to the apartment and put her keys on the table. "Hello?" she called out, but received no answer. That was a little odd. Mark usually arrived home before her, unless something happened at the lab.

Piper began getting dressed for dinner, figuring Mark would be home before she finished. She took a relaxing shower and donned a slender, form-fitting, black dress. She pinned up her hair and finished her makeup.

Piper was finished dressing and she looked at her watch. Mark was an hour and a half late. That wasn't like him. He hadn't called and there were no messages on the machine. Piper was suddenly gripped by fear. What if something happened to him?

Piper tried calling his cell phone, but it went directly to voice mail. After that, Piper called Mark's work, and an angry boss answered the phone.

"What?" he barked into the phone.

"Is Mark there?" Piper asked meekly.

"No!" his boss yelled. "And when you see him, tell him if he pulls another stunt like that again, he's fired!"

"Excuse me?" Piper asked.

"Next time he doesn't show up for work, he's fired!" The boss slammed down the phone.

Piper stared at the phone, dial tone ringing loudly. Piper's feeling of dread grew worse as she hung up the phone and called her sisters. After explaining the situation, they promised to come right over.

In the mean time, Piper tried calling his cell again without result. Piper was worried now. Mark never showed up to work, didn't tell anybody where he was going. It just wasn't like him.

Piper called his mother next. Ming-na seemed just upset as Piper about the disappearance of her son. Piper hung up, promising to keep her updated.

Her sisters arrived soon. Piper opened the door and let them in. Prue let out a low whistle and Phoebe said, "Looking spiffy there, sis."

Piper looked down at the dress she was still wearing. "Oh. Let me change really quick." Piper ran into the bedroom and slipped on some pants and a blouse. As she left the bedroom, she looked at the picture of her and Mark sitting on the bedside table. She had her arms wrapped around him and both of them were smiling.

With one last look at the picture, Piper turned off the light.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mark waved good-bye to Piper and continued on his route to work. He walked through the streets of Chinatown, taking in the familiar sights and scents.

Today was his birthday, not an occasion he would normally celebrate with such enthusiasm if it hadn't been for Piper. He had a surprise for her this evening, a surprise they would both benefit greatly from.

Just thinking of Piper and how much he loved her put a smile on his face. He was still smiling as he turned onto one of his shortcuts, an alley between two restaurants that led him to the next street over, allowing him to avoid heavy foot traffic.

Mark was walking down the alley when he heard someone call out to him.

"Yes?" he said and three men walked up to him.

"Can you…" the guy in the middle said and Mark watched in horror as he pulled out a gun.

To Mark, it seemed as if time slowed down as the man pulled the trigger. Mark didn't know if the gun had a silencer of if he had gone temporarily deaf.

In the three seconds it took for the bullet to leave the gun and to enter his chest, Mark had thousands of thoughts fly through his head. Thoughts of his mother, so loving and kind, thoughts of his dead father, who he had a sinking suspicion he would be joining soon.

But not least of all, thoughts of Piper. Lovely, beautiful Piper. Piper, the love of his life.

As the bullet ripped a hole in his chest, Mark's last thought was a silent 'I love you' to Piper.


	11. Confirmation

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 11: Confirmation**

Prue, Phoebe, and Sarah, the other manager of Quake, followed a near hysterical Piper into the police station. Mark was now missing for eights hours, and Piper was close to panic. They walked up to the front desk, looking for Andy.

There was an air of excitement throughout the station. Cops bustled in and out of the station, most smiling or joking merrily.

Andy, who was huddled over his desk with Darryl, looking over files, looked up and saw Prue, Phoebe, and Piper. Andy excused himself form the huddle and made his way over to them.

He walked over to them and smiled, then leaned down to give Prue a kiss. "What brings you guys here?"

"Mark," Piper blurted out.

Andy looked at her in confusion.

"Mark, he's missing. He never showed up to work, no one's seen him, no one can't get a hold of him…" Piper broke off, close to tears.

Prue out one arm around her. "Andy, can you help us?"

Andy let out a breath. "How long has he been missing?"

Piper was going to answer, but Prue was afraid she would break down, so she answered. "Piper noticed him missing about eight hours ago, but no one had heard from him since he left the apartment this morning. Never showed up to work, never left a call."

Andy ran a hand through his hair. "Technically, I can't do anything until he's been missing for at least twenty-four hours. He's a legal adult, free to leave on his own free will." Andy took a look at Piper's grief-stricken face. "But I can start checking with hospitals, see if anyone who fits his description has been admitted in the last eighteen hours."

"Thank you, Andy," Piper said.

"I just hope everything is okay," he said.

"Me too," Piper whispered.

A young cop called out to Andy. "Hey, Trudeau! Take this down to Evidence, will ya?" he threw a plastic bag with something it to Andy.

"Sure," Andy said, easily catching the wildly tossed bag.

Everyone peered at the bag Andy now held.

"What is it?" Phoebe asked.

"It's a necklace we found on a dead body. We believe the body is Tony Wong, local drug lord and con artist. We've always known he was involved in things, but never enough evidence to pin him. It looks like he finally met his match."

Everyone seemed interested in his story, except for Piper who was staring intently at the bag. It looked like a piece of jewelry, possibly a bracelet or necklace.

Piper suddenly sucked in a loud breath. She saw that piece of jewelry before.

"What is it, Piper?" Prue asked upon hearing her take a loud breath.

"That's Mark's necklace."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"What?!" Andy exclaimed, taking the necklace out of the plastic evidence bag. "Take a closer look. Are you sure?"

"Yes. Turn it around. You'll see his initials, _MC_, carved into the back."

Andy did as he was told. "She's right," he simply said.

Piper's face turned pale, almost an ashen white. Sarah, Phoebe, and Prue forced her to sit on a nearby bench while Andy conferred with another officer.

Piper put her face in her hands and began to sob. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Prue rubbed her back. "Shh. I'm sure he's fine," Prue told her, but the sincerity in her voice was forced.

Piper could tell she wasn't telling the truth, but she didn't care. From the moment she saw the necklace, she had known in her heart that Mark was dead.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Andy almost choked on his tongue when he heard Piper say, "That's Mark's necklace."

After Piper described it in detail to him and he confirmed it, the pieces began to fall into place. As Piper was ushered to sit on the bench, Andy called out to the young cop who handed him the necklace earlier.

"Get me the evidence inventory and all related files about Mark Wong."

The officer looked at him in confusion.

"NOW!" his voice roared through the station house, causing everyone to turn around and look at him. He held up his hands in mock surrender. He went to Piper, asking her to come with him.

Andy took her to one of the interrogation rooms at the back of the station. Prue, Phoebe, and Sarah faithfully followed her, even though they weren't invited.

"Andy, what's going on?" Piper pleaded.

"I don't know," he said honestly. There was a knock at the door and he opened it to discover the young officer standing there with two boxes full of evidence and numerous files. "Thanks, Mendel." The officer, Mendel, walked out of the room and stood by the door.

He set the boxes on the table and began sifting through them.

"Andy, what is this?" Piper asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. "What does this have to do with Mark?"

Andy didn't seem to hear her. "Piper, did Mark see a dentist regularly?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Who?"

"Dr. Kim Kessler. Why?"

Andy stood up and went to the door to talk to Mendel. "Go to a judge, get a subpoena for dental records of Mark Chang, patient of Dr. Kim Kessler. I want you to get them and deliver them personally."

Mendel nodded his head and walked away.

Piper thought she was going to pass out when she heard that. Dental records were used to identify dead bodies. She began to shake.

"Andy, _what is it? Is Mark dead?_"

"I don't know. Give me a minute," he said. After ten minutes of shuffling through paper and things in evidence bags, Andy cried out in triumph. "The ring!" Andy said, and dumped the ring out of the evidence bag and onto the table. He dug out the report on the ring and began to read. Then he set the file aside.

The pieces finally fell into place. A body was found in the alley, too badly burned to be identified by fingerprints. Upon further examination, the cause of death was found to be a gunshot wound to the chest. Only tangible evidence available was the necklace, not then identified as Mark's, and a ring known to belong to Tony Wong. Height and size of the body was approximate to that of Tony Wong. The combination of the two lead to the assumption the body belonged to Tony Wong.

That assumption was clearly wrong. After looking over the evidence, Andy discovered a big mistake made by the San Francisco Police Department.

The ring had been put on the body _after_ it had been burned.

Translation: the body wasn't Tony Wong. Someone had been shot to death, burned, and then had the ring placed on them to mistaken for Tony Wong. Andy had a sinking suspicion that someone was Mark Chang.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

After twenty minutes of listening to the girls begging him to tell him what was going on, he finally asked them to be quiet. He refused to answer their questions, just in case he happened to be wrong. He didn't want to see Piper any more broken than she was.

Mendel knocked on the door and Andy answered it. Mendel handed him a large manila envelope. Andy knew it had the dental records.

"Thanks," Andy told him. "Stay here with them, will you?" The Halliwells and Sarah were not under arrest, but they said they weren't leaving until they knew what happened to Mark. Andy had no doubt they would.

Mendel nodded and Andy walked down to the morgue. Once there, he gave his greetings to the coroner.

"Hello there, Andy. Don't see your type around here much," the coroner commented.

"Dead bodies are depressing," Andy said.

"I'd rather be with the dead than the living," the coroner retorted.

"Your wife must love that.

The coroner just smiled. "She loves it. Now what can I do to you?"

"I need the dental x-rays of the body found burnt in the alley."

"Tony Wong?"

"Maybe not."

The coroner didn't say anything; he just raised his eyebrows. He retrieved the x-rays and Andy handed him the dental records to compare them to.

After five minutes of comparing, muttering, and giving and occasional exclamation of confirmation, the coroner face Andy. "It's a match."

_Shit_, Andy thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Andy rubbed a hand over his face, procrastinating having to step foot in the interrogation room. To step in that room was to deliver horrendous news, to step in that room was to destroy the life of someone he cared about.

He took a deep breath and opened the door and entered the room.

Piper immediately stood up. "Andy, I'm tired of waiting. Just tell me!" Piper said through her tears.

Andy didn't have to say a word. Piper looked him directly in the eyes, and she knew the answer.

She broke down crying, falling to her knees.

Prue made a motion to go to her, but Phoebe held her back.

It was Sarah who went to her and held her as she cried.


	12. Aftermath

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Chapter 12: Aftermath **

Piper sat in the first row, Ming-na's hand tightly grasping hers. As the priest beside the casket droned on in Chinese, Piper thought back to when she told Ming-na her only son was dead. Ming-na had collapsed on the porch, crying. Piper held her and comforted her. Relatives tried to console Ming-na, but she clung to Piper, the only other one who truly knew her son. In that moment she rejected her family and clung to Piper, Ming-na broke the ethnic barrier. Piper was now part of the family.

On Piper's other side sat Sarah. Sarah, her best friend, Sarah, her rock of sanity. Sarah was there to comfort and console her, almost as if she felt Piper's pain.

The ceremony was ending and people were being asked to make a last pass by the coffin before it was lowered into the ground. Piper let tears begin running down her face. She walked passed the coffin, but she could barely see it through her tears. In there lay Mark, but it was not the man she knew. The man she knew would always be in her heart, in her memories.

Piper laid the flower she had been holding onto the top of the casket. _I love you, Mark,_ she silently said.

It began to rain.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ming-na unlocked Mark's apartment door and Piper followed her in. It had been four days since the funeral, and although the landlord was nice, he said the apartment needed to be cleared out soon. As much as Piper knew it had to be done, she dreaded it.

Ming-na seemed to dread it too. She was pale and quiet.

They seemed to come to an unspoken agreement. They began clearing out the kitchen and living room respectively. After certain things were packed and some things were to be dealt with later, Piper stood at the doorway of Mark's bedroom, afraid to enter.

Ming-na stood next to Piper. "I will clean the bathroom. You need to do this room," she said, indicating the bedroom.

"I'm scared," she whispered, and Ming-na put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Piper mustered up her courage and stepped into the room she and Mark had so often shared. There was the bed they shared and a shiver went up her spine. They never would again. "Mark is dead," pier whispered out loud.

Piper sat on the edge of the bed, tightly gripping the edge tightly, biting her bottom lip, trying not to cry. It was no use, the tears began to flow. In all the days since learning Mark was dead, Piper had been in a state of denial. Now that she had, Piper felt as if they were true. It was almost too much to bear. She finally was able to calm herself down and focus on the task at hand.

Deciding the best way to tackle this room would be a methodical method, Piper decided to pack his clothes first. She grabbed a box and took it over to one of the dresser drawers. She opened the drawer and immediately closed it. She couldn't do this. Why was she kidding herself?

She stood up and was about to leave the room when she heard Ming-na's soft weeping from the bathroom. Piper stopped and faced the dresser. She was the only one who could do this. She had to be strong. Strong for herself, Strong for Ming-na.

Piper sat down in front of the dresser again, still unable to open it. _Okay, _She told herself_, if you close your eyes and don't look, it won't hurt_.

Piper closed her eyes and quickly opened the drawer. He grabbed a pile of shirts, shoving them in the box. Even though her eyes were closed, tears drifted down her face. She didn't open her eyes until she closed the drawer. She took a breath and emptied the next drawer.

Just as she was finishing the third drawer, shoving the last pile of shirts into a box, something fell and made a soft thud sound. She looked down to see a little black box lying on the floor. Curious, she opened the box.

Cushioned inside the box sat a ring. It had a gold band and a diamond in the center, surround by two smaller ones. She leaned against the bed on the floor and stared at the ring.

That was how Ming-na found her, sitting on the floor, staring at the ring. Ming-na bent down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Piper looked at her, question in her eyes.

"The night that… the night that Mark died, he was going to ask you to marry him."

Piper could barely see anything through the tears that ran down her face. She examined the ring and put it on. A perfect fit.

Piper was suddenly caught by a wave of nausea. She didn't know what caused it, fear of being alone without Mark, sadness, or a mixture of the two. Whatever it was, it made her sick.

"Excuse me," she said and ran to the bathroom.

She leaned over the toilet and vomited.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you think. I was going to make Piper pregnant, but decided against it. It's finally here! Leo's first chapter! Please let me know how you think the story is going.**

**I've updated to chapter 15. Since I have finals this week, I;m not sure how soon I'll be able to post. Please review after every chapter so I know your opinion about each. Thank you!**


	13. Regurgitating Plumbing

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 13: Regurgitating Plumbing**

Two and a half years later, Piper stood behind the bar, making drinks. Shortly after Mark died, Piper quit her job at quake to open her own nightclub, P3, in honor of her and her sisters. She had taken on Sarah as her manager, and didn't regret it. Sarah showed the same, if not more, work ethic she showed at Quake. Sarah was someone Piper could rely on and trust, so she didn't have to worry about the club if Sarah was running it.

P3 was full of life and on its way to becoming a major hotspot. She served a drink to a sandy-haired guy with green eyes just a phone rang. She gave him the drink and picked up the phone simultaneously.

"P3," she said in a brisk tone.

"Piper?" Prue's voice called from the phone.

"Is everything okay?" was he immediate question. Prue usually didn't call her at work.

"Um," Prue said, and Piper could hear Phoebe yelling to Prue in the background.

"What's wrong?

"The pipes are kind of backed up in the kitchen sink. Stuff seems to be regurgitating if anything goes down the drain."

"Just don't put anything down the drain," Piper said as if it were that simple.

"Right. As if that will solve the problem."

"Call a plumber."

"Tried. They're all closed. Have to wait until Monday." I was currently Saturday.

"Damn. I'm coming home. Sarah can handle the club."

"Why? What can you do?"

"I don't know!" Piper said, rubbing her hand across her temple. "I'll be home in a few."

"Bye," Prue said, hanging up the phone.

Piper let out a sigh and hung up the phone. What was she supposed to do?

"Excuse me, miss?" the man she served just before she answered the phone called out.

Piper turned to him. "Yes?"

"I overheard your phone call and I maybe able to help."

"Are you a plumber?"

"No. I'm a police officer."

"Then I'm sorry. You can't help."

"Maybe I can. I know a lot about plumbing."

"I'll just wait 'til Monday to call a plumber."

"You don't trust me, do you?" the man said with an easy smile.

"You right. I don't," she said with bluntness.

"I don't blame you, Miss…?"

"Halliwell. Piper Halliwell. And you are…?"

"Leo. Leo Wyatt."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**And here is Leo! Thank you for all your reviews! I absolutly loved them! Please review this chapter and let me know what you think!**


	14. From Pipes to Piper

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 14: From Pipes to Piper**

Piper proceeded to get her purse and coat as Leo talked to her. The guy was cute at first, but now he was just annoying. She turned around to face him. "Look, I said thanks, but no thanks. Just leave me alone."

Leo held up his hands in mock defeat. "You win."

"Thank you," she said. She turned around and bumped straight into someone. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"I was just looking for you," the guy she bumped into said. It was Andy. "Prue just called me. I'm going over there to see if I can do anything."

"I was just on my way home too."

Leo cleared his throat. Andy turned to him as if her was an old friend. "Leo! Nice to see you. Got the night off?'

"Yep. I was just offering to help Piper fix the plumbing."

Piper intervened. "Wait. You _know_ him?"

"Sure. I've worked a few cases with him."

"Believe me now?" Leo asked, almost mockingly.

"No," Piper snapped.

Andy, sensing trouble, intervened. "Piper, why don't you let him work on the plumbing? I'll bring him over. I have to go to the manor anyway, since Prue's car's in the shop." Andy and Prue had moved in together once Andy had proposed to Prue. The wedding was still in the planning stages.

"Alright," she said warily, only consenting because Andy would be there. Ever since Mark died, she seemed to be distrusting of people. She couldn't explain it. It was just an involuntary reaction.

Piper walked away and Leo hung back with Andy. As Leo began to walk away, Andy put a restraining hand on Leo's chest. "Watch your step."

Leo looked at the floor, confused. "I don't see anything…"

"That's not what I mean. Look, but don't touch." Leo knew what Andy was talking about now: Piper.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo didn't know why he pressed Piper so hard about fixing her pipes. He could care less; it wasn't his problem. But something drew him towards her, an unexplainable invisible force.

Once inside the house, Leo looked around the tastefully decorated foyer. He began looking at the pictures on the table and was dismayed to see many of them had Piper wrapped in a man's arms, smiling.

He thought she was just a single, attractive woman. As Piper hung up her coat, he looked at her left hand and he saw it: an engagement ring. Fixing those pipes was looking much more unappealing.

Piper showed Leo the way to the kitchen, where two women were looking down the drain of the sink. Piper introduced them as her sisters, Prue and Phoebe. They made small talk, but none of it really mattered.

As Leo began working on the pipes, they left. _This sucks_, he thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper went back downstairs to where Leo was just finishing up working on the pipes. He was washing is hands and wiped them on his jeans. "All fixed," he commented.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Leo said nonchalantly.

"No, really. Thank you. You didn't have to."

Leo put his hands in his pockets. "You're welcome."

Piper and Leo stood there, an uncomfortable silence enveloping them. Leo finally broke the silence. "I take it your fiancé doesn't know how to fix pipes." _Good job, Wyatt,_ he mentally kicked himself. _You sure are smooth_.

Piper looked at him in pure, unadulterated confusion. "Fiancé? What are you talking about?"

Leo looked down at her ring. "Your ring and all the pictures… I just assumed you were married or engaged." _Now she thinks you're a fool_. _Good Job, Wyatt. Another point for you_.

Piper gave him a small smile. "No, I'm not married or engaged." _Unfortunately,_ Piper thought, thinking of Mark. Her heart gave a twinge of pain when she thought of him. She held up the ring on her finger. "I wear it for sentimental reasons," she said, being vague on purpose.

Leo now gave a smile of relief. He didn't know why, but his heart soared with hope.

Piper walked him to the door, and they stood there awkwardly.

"Thank you, again."

Leo stood there, working up his courage. _Come on, Wyatt, just ask her out._ He took a deep breath and asked. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?"

Piper was shocked. This was the _last_ thing she expected. She looked him in the eyes, and almost considered agreeing. "I…um…don't think that's a good idea…"

Leo looked crestfallen. "Oh. Okay. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Maybe," she said and closed the door.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo wanted to kick himself. Why did he have to be so sudden? Why couldn't he be the suave, subtle man every woman loved in movies and swooned over in books?

But there was something in her eyes. Those big, brown, soulful eyes. When he asked if she was engaged, he saw a flicker of pain, longing. But it was gone in an instant. And as he looked into her eyes as he asked her out, he saw her beginning to consent, but changer her mind at the last moment.

Leo began walking down the pathway to the car. Halfway down, he turned back around and rang the bell.

Piper answered the door, shocked to see him back again so soon. "Leo, what…"

"Did I offend you?" he interrupted.

"What? No."

"Then why won't you have dinner with me?"

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Things."

"What kind of things?"

"Odds and ends."

"Am I ugly?"

"What?"

"Am I ugly?"

"No. Where did you get that idea?"

"Because you won't go out with me."

"Leo, it's not that. I'm just…"

"Busy?"

"Yeah."

"Come on. You mean to tell me you can't spare two hours for dinner?"

"It's not that I can't, it's that I just don't want to."

At first, that stung Leo. But then he looked at Piper's face and saw her trying to hold back a laugh. She was teasing him. Leo liked that in a woman. That made him all the more determined. "So I'll take that as a yes?"

"Where did you get 'yes' out of that comment?"

"So, I'll pick you up here at seven tomorrow night?"

"Leo, I didn't say yes!" Piper exclaimed, but she was amused.

"You didn't _say_ it, but I know you want to."

Piper crossed her across her chest. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow at seven." He walked down the pathway to his car.

"I don't like pushy men!" Piper called out as he walked away.

Leo just raised a hand and kept walking. "Yes, you do."

Piper just shook her head and closed the door, a huge smile on her face.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed, I really appreciate it. For all of you who loved Mark and hated to see him die, I would like you to know I might write another fic**

**surrounding just him and Piper. I don't know, I'm not sure. **


	15. The Little Red Number

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 15: The Little Red Number**

From the moment she accepted Leo's offer, she felt as if she made the wrong decision. She would have backed out if Phoebe and Sarah hadn't pressed her not to.

Piper and Leo had a wonderful date. He took her to the zoo, showed her sights in San Francisco she had never taken the time to see before. They ate at a nice little Thai restaurant. At the end of the night, Leo dropped her off at the manor and walked her to the front door.

He held both her hands and looked into her eyes. "I had a great time tonight."

"Me too," she said, staring right back at him. She was telling the truth. She had a wonderful time, but she couldn't help but to think of Mark from time to time.

Leo smiled at her and she smiled back. He leaned towards her and Piper started to panic. _Oh my God, he's going to kiss me!_ Piper wasn't ready for that yet. As he leaned in farther to kiss her, she looked down so all Leo could kiss was her forehead.

He looked at her, confused, and she let out a nervous laugh. "I, um, have to go," she said, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before going inside.

Leo stood on the front porch, surprised and confused. _What did I do wrong?_ He wondered.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Even though she enjoyed her date with Leo, Piper decided not to see him again. It was too painful for her. It wasn't fair to him either. He shouldn't have to be tied down by a girl still in love with a ghost.

So when Leo called later on that night, Piper dreaded having to tell him.

"Did I offend you?" Leo asked as soon as Piper answered the phone.

"No, Leo you didn't. I'm just not ready to be in a relationship now."

"Piper, I know you had a good time last night."

"I did."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Leo…"

"Piper, I'm not going to let you go that easy."

"Leo, you're better off without me."

"No, I'm not."

"Leo…"

But Leo wouldn't let her finish. "Piper, I can tell you've been hurt before. But I promise you I won't be like that. I won't hurt you."

"No one's tried to intentionally hurt me. But it happens whether you plan on it or not."

"Piper…"

This time it was Piper who wouldn't let Leo finish talking. "Good-bye, Leo," she said, hanging up the phone.

She sat on the couch and cried.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo looked at the phone with the dull, buzzing noise in confusion. What was with Piper? He knew she had a good time last night, she even admitted it. Why didn't she want to see him anymore?

He knew something happened to her in the past. He didn't know if it was a bad relationship or the death of someone close. But what ever it was left Piper a wounded woman.

Leo wasn't going to give up. There was something, an invisible force, compelling him to be with Piper. He wasn't going to let her push him away.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.

Piper managed to take her mind off of Leo by throwing herself into work. Even Sarah, a workaholic herself, said Piper needed to get out.

The perfect opportunity came around. The San Francisco Police Department was hosting an annual ball. Piper thought it was kind of stupid, police having a ball, but it was a charity event to raise money for the police force.

All the officers were supposed to bring a date. Prue was going with Andy, Darryl was going with his wife, and Phoebe was invited by Leo's partner, Eric Trest. That left Leo without a date and Piper with a free night.

Leo asked Piper and she flat out refused, so he backed off, not asking her again. It was Phoebe who bullied her into it.

The morning after refusing to go with Leo, Phoebe sat her down on the couch. Phoebe got right to the point. "You're going with Leo to the ball."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"You can't force me."

"Yes, I can and I will."

"Phoebe…"

"Just hear me out, Piper. I know how much you loved Mark. I know how much it hurt you to lose him. But you need to move on. You need to let him go."

"It's not that simple."

"I know. But you gave Leo a chance and had a great time. Now you're scared you'll fall for him and loose him too."

"What are you, a psychiatrist?"

"For the point of this conversation, yes. And this psychiatrist says you need to move on. Going to this ball would be a perfect chance to get out. Now you are going to call Leo and tell him you are going." Phoebe handed her the cordless phone.

"I'd feel sorry for anyone who was under your care," she grumbled, dialing Leo's number. "If they weren't insane when they first came to you, they sure would be by the time they left."

Phoebe stuck out her tongue at Piper as Leo answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Um, Leo? It's Piper. Listen, about that ball next week…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper couldn't believe she let Phoebe talk her into this. As Sarah did her hair and makeup, Piper tried to remember just why she was doing this. She voiced her concern to Sarah.

"Because you need to. You like Leo; the guy practically drools over you. You need to stop living in this shell you're in. You're going, so stop complaining."

"Why does every one treat me like I'm four?"

"Because you act like it." Sarah put her hands to the side of Piper's head. "Stop moving before your hair ends up on one side of your head."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo pulled up in front of the Halliwell manor and immediately recognized Andy's, Darryl's, and Eric's cars already there. He turned off the car and took the key out of the ignition. He paused before getting out of the car. He hoped Piper was up to this and hadn't been pressured into it.

He knew something terrible had happened to Piper, but Andy wasn't willing to share and Piper wasn't exactly opening up to him.

Leo got out of the car and quickly walked to the manor and rung the doorbell. Andy opened the door and invited him in. Eric, Andy, Darryl, and his wife, Shelia, stood in the foyer, waiting for the girls to come down.

Prue was the first one to come down, wearing a black dress. She walked to Andy, who drew her into a long, deep kiss. Eric made catcalls, causing everyone to laugh. Phoebe followed shortly after, wearing a black dress way more revealing than her sister's. Eric just stared at her, speechless.

"You can close your mouth now," Leo whispered to him. Everybody snickered at Eric.

The last person to come down the stairs was Piper, closely followed by Sarah. Now it was Leo's turn to let his mouth hang open. Piper was wearing this little red number, showing off the curves of her legs and the delicacy of her shoulder and neck. A gold necklace with a ruby, heart-shaped pendant hung around her neck and lay in the center of her chest. She had her hair up, but some tendrils fell across her face in soft curls.

He was nudged back to reality by Eric's shoulder. Leo offered his arm to Piper and she took it. She gave him one of her rare, radiant smiles. Everyone went out to their various cars. Leo held open the door for Piper and graciously helped her into the car.

On the way there, Leo kept glancing over at her. Piper finally noticed is glances and asked, "What?"

"You look beautiful," he told her.

"Thanks," she said, sounding surprised. Leo was confused. How could she not know she looked that good?

They were soon there and Leo parked the car. He went around to the other side of the car and helped Piper out. She took his hand and held it as they walked to the building.

They joined the rest of the group at the front of the building. After being checked off the guest list, they were led to a large dinning room were a hundred or so people already were. People were milling about as the group searched for the table they all shared.

As they walked to the table, Leo wondered why they called this event a 'ball'. All people did was get dressed up, maybe dance to music, eat lousy food, and listen to a bunch of politicians give speeches. Any officers with rank were expected to attend. That included the homicide inspectors, as they were called in San Francisco. So Andy, Darryl, Eric, and he were expected to be here.

They had the same thing in Los Angels, where he had been an officer before moving to San Francisco. Both cities need to find a new way to raise money. They really do.

Leo cast a sideways glance at Piper, who was looking at him. Leo smiled and rolled his eyes. Piper laughed when she saw this, nodding in agreement. She clearly thought this was a stupid as he did.

Leo was thrilled to notice she was still holding his hand. Okay, it may seem childish, but he liked holding her hand. It let him know she was still there and she had some affection for him. Either that, or he was reading _way_ too much into it.

Piper seemed to enjoy herself for the rest of the night. Throughout the boring speeches, Leo and Piper would roll their eyes or do something equally impolite and the other would have to struggle not to burst out laughing. No one but the people at their table realized. Prue kicked Piper from under the table many times and Leo even earned some elbows form Eric, who was probably the most fun-loving and immature one at the table. Phoebe was the only one who seemed to enjoy their antics, often joining in.

It's not that Leo didn't like the politicians making speeches, it just that he heard it so many times. They always promised to make changes for the better, help lower crime rates and so on. But they never did. Crime rates continued to rise, sociopath after sociopath committing murders stranger than the last. Speeches weren't going to change that. Good police work and community involvement would. Unfortunately, all the people here were already involved, so these speeches weren't having much of an effect on them. Tired of being elbowed, Leo finally agreed to pretend to pay attention to the speakers.

After the speeches were done, dinner was severed, followed by desert. The food was decent, but Leo could have probably made a better dinner with a TV dinner thrown in the microwave. Leo suspected they purposely served dinner after the speeches so no one would dine and dash.

After dinner everyone was free to do what they wanted. They could stay and talk or dance or leave.

Leo, Piper, Prue, Andy, Phoebe, Eric, Darryl, and Shelia danced for quite a while, exchanging partners often. The whole group was having fun and no one wanted it to stop. Especially Leo. Piper seemed to be having so much fun, he hated to see it end.

It was well after midnight when the group was exhausted and ready to leave. They gathered their stuff and walked out to their cars, splitting up when they got to their cars. Before Leo helped Piper into the car, he put his hands on her bare shoulders and looked at her. "I had a great time tonight," he said.

"Me too," Piper said, meaning it.

"Would you like to go out again sometime?"

"I would love that," she said.

Encouraged, Leo leaned down to kiss her. To his surprise, she kissed him back just as eagerly.

Then she turned and ran.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Please review, I love to hear your opinion. I have some very good stuff coming up in the next few chapters. I hope to update soon!**


	16. Confession

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 16: Confession**

Piper promised herself she would have a good time tonight. And she did. When she stopped worrying about everything and just being herself with Leo, she realized how much she liked. He made her laugh in one night more than she had in the past two years combined.

The ball it self wasn't fun, but being there with Leo and acting like a child again was. He had an effect on her like no one else did.

As they stood by the car, with Leo touching her bare shoulders, shivers of delight so powerful ran up her spine that they scared her. When Leo leaned down to kiss her, there was no panic like last time. Only desire. She eagerly kissed Leo back, wanting more.

But when the kiss broke, she was overflowed with memories of Mark. Tears immediately sprang to her eyes.

For reasons unable to be explained even to herself, Piper turned and ran. She ran down the street. She heard Leo give chase, but as she turned the corner down the street, she couldn't hear him anymore. She hoped he gave up. She didn't want to talk.

Half way down the street she tossed off her high-heeled shoes, making it easier to run. She ran and ran, not sure where she was going.

She didn't stop until she got a cramp in her side and her sobs made it difficult to breath. She slowed down and looked at her surroundings, realizing she was in a park her mother used to take her and her sisters to when they were little.

She walked to a bench, favoring her right side with out the cramp, threw her shoes to the ground, and sat on the bench, knees drawn to her chin. Through her tears she looked out at the lake, surrounded by a fence to ward off swimmers.

Piper put her forehead to her knees, thinking about Mark. A cold breeze rustled through the trees, but she hardly noticed. Her bare feet were cold, so she put her hands over them, trying to warm them, but her hands were cold too.

She was cold, so cold. Inside and out. Physically and emotionally. She just wanted the cold to end.

As she rested her forehead on her knees, crying, Piper wished the cold and the pain would go away.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo tried chasing after Piper, but he had no clue what he would say to her if he caught up, so he let her run.

But moments later, he began to worry and his police instincts took over. She was a young, beautiful, upset, alone woman alone after dark. Perfect prey for some sick, twisted, perverted sociopath.

Leo got a hold of Andy and told him what happened. Prue immediately began to panic, but Andy, the rational one, suggested a search party. They broke up into four groups, Darryl and Shelia, Phoebe and Eric, Prue and Andy, and Leo, and searched in different directions.

Leo got into his car and searched for Piper in the direction he saw her run off. His panic grew after each foot there was no sign of him until he convinced himself he was looking for a dead body covered in crimson blood rather than a living woman in a red dress.

There were no bodies down the alleys he checked. When he drove past a park, he thought he saw someone sitting on a bench. Leo, not wanting to leave any stone unturned, got out of his car and walked closer. After a few feet he knew it was Piper. The red dress was a dead give away.

He called Andy and said, "I found her."

"Thank God. Where is she?"

"At some park. Give me a chance to talk to her and I'll bring her home."

"Don't be too long."

"I won't," Leo told him, thinking Andy sounded like a Dad.

Leo hung up and covered the last few yards between him and Piper. He heard her sniffling as if she just finished crying. Her knees were drawn to her forehead and she was shaking. "Piper?" Leo asked softly, crouching down at her side.

"Hi, Leo," she said, not surprised he had found her. She didn't lift her head from her knees to look at him.

Leo stood up and sat on the bench next to her. It was then Piper turned her head to look at him. Leo looked at her tear-stained face and knew for sure she had been crying.

"Piper, what's wrong?"

Piper just shrugged her shoulders.

Leo took one of her ice-cold hands in his. "You're freezing," he commented and Piper just shrugged her shoulders again. Leo took off his jacket and draped it across her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said, not making eye contact, but staring out at the lake instead.

"It's beautiful," Leo commented.

Piper shrugged her shoulders. "My mom used to take us here when we were little. Before she died."

"I'm sorry," Leo said.

Piper once again shrugged her shoulders. "I've learned to deal with it."

Leo held one of her cold hands in his, warming it. "Why did you run?"

This time, Piper didn't shrug her shoulders. Instead, tears ran out of the corners of her eyes.

Before he knew what was happening, Leo was receiving the whole story about Mark and his murder. Leo was stunned at the cruel manor in which Mark was worried. Leo had heard of Tony Wong before, and knew he was bad, but this…this was horrible.

Now Leo understood Piper's hesitation in getting involved with someone else. The ring she wore for 'sentimental value' must be from Mark, Leo concluded. He wasn't surprised to find out Mark was dead, because no man in his right mind would willing give up a woman like Piper.

Piper finished up her story. "I couldn't save him. I wasn't there when he needed me the most," she said and she began to sob.

Leo held her close and let her cry, knowing she needed to get it out.

Piper eventually began to calm down and lifted her head from Leo's chest. He gently wiped away her tears. "Feel better?" he asked.

"Yeah I do," she said, shivering. "But I'm still cold." _Only on the outside_, she mentally added. She felt emotionally better now that she poured out her heart to Leo.

Leo took care of that, grabbing her shoes and carrying her to the car. To him she was very light, barely any extra weight. Once he sat her in the passenger seat, he hopped in the driver's seat and turned the ignition on. He turned up the heat as high as it would go and moved the vents so they would face Piper.

"Thanks," she said as a chill passed though her. She snuggled deeper into his coat trying to get warm.

Piper was still cold when they pulled up to the manor. Leo walked around to the passenger's side and opened the door. "I can walk," Piper insisted, but Leo ignored her and carried her to the door. Once at the front door, Piper insisted he put her down and he obeyed, but kept one hand across her waist for support.

Piper was barely in the door before Prue had her in a hug. "Oh my God! Are you alright?" Prue asked, smoothing Piper's hair.

"I'm fine," Piper said, still shivering. Prue finally released her and Phoebe hugged her, making sure she was fine. "I'm okay, everyone. Honest. I'm just a little cold."

"Okay, Honey. Why don't you change into something warm?" Prue suggested. Piper consented, going upstairs.

Once she was out of earshot, Prue turned her wrath onto Leo. "What did you do to her?"

"Me? I didn't do anything!" He went on to explain how Piper told him about Mark. "_That_ is why she ran. Because of Mark."

Prue looked up towards the stairs. "Poor girl. She took it so hard you would have thought she's the one who killed him."

Piper came back downstairs in a few minutes, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. After being reassured Piper was alright, Prue finally agreed to leave. It was almost three in the morning. "I have to be to work in three hours. I have to go home and down at least twelve cups of coffee."

Piper gave her a hug. "Sorry about all the late nights," Piper said, referring to other nights she went with out sleep because of Piper.

"Anything for you," Prue replied. "Besides, this is nothing compared to all the nights I had to stay up and wait for the cops to bring Phoebe home," Prue teased her younger sister.

"Hey!" Phoebe protested. "It was only twice!"

"Only twice you got _caught_," Prue reminded her and Phoebe gave her a not-so-innocent smile.

"Really? I want to hear more about this," Eric said, kissing Phoebe.

"Maybe you will," Phoebe said, kissing him back.

"I like the sound of that," he said, kissing her again.

"Alright you two break it up." Prue got between the two. "You all need to go to sleep."

Everyone began heading two the door, but Leo hung back. "Wyatt, are you coming?" Andy asked.

"I want to talk to Leo for a moment," Piper said. The others said good-bye and left. Phoebe went upstairs, leaving them alone.

Once alone, Piper hugged Leo around his waist, her head coming up to his mid-chest. "Thanks for listening."

"Thanks for telling," he replied. He was being honest. He felt as if a wall between him and Piper had been knocked down.

They stood there for a few minutes, holding each other. Piper, almost falling asleep against him, asked, "Do you really have to go?"

"Not really," he replied.

"Will you stay? I don't want to be alone."

"Sure," he said, not moving. "Are we going to stay here?"

"Oh," Piper said and led him up to her bedroom. Once up there, Leo stripped down to his boxers and laid next to Piper and held her hand. Soon she was in his arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Piper had been cold ever since she ran into the park, but now, lying in Leo's arms, she was warm. On the inside and outside.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo woke up and saw Piper lying peacefully in his arms. He hated to disturb her, but he had to work the afternoon shift today. Good thing it wasn't the morning, other wise he wouldn't have been able to function. He still had to shower and change. He searched for his clothes on the floor, found them, and slipped them on.

He took one last look at Piper and gently kissed her forehead before walking quietly out of the room. He slowly shut the door and bumped into a yawning Phoebe.

Phoebe let out a squeak of surprise and quickly covered her mouth. Leo hoped he hadn't woken Piper. "Holy shit, Leo! You scared me half to death! What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, hand over her chest trying to slower her heartbeat.

"I stayed the night," he told her, walking down the stairs.

"Oh. So did you have fun?" Phoebe asked suggestively.

"I slept well, if that's what you mean."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know."

"So where are you going?"

"To work. I have to be there," He looked at his watch, "half an hour ago! Shit." He raced downstairs and let the door slam close behind him.

He drove like a mad man to work. He didn't care if he was wearing the same suit as last night. He clocked in forty-five minutes late.

Eric took one look at him and laughed. "Where did you sleep last night?"

"At Piper's."

Eric's eyes bulged. "Are you serious?! So how was it?"

"Shut up, Eric," he said and got down to work.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper woke up in the morning and stretched out, only to find the space in the bed next to her empty. She looked at the clock and figured Leo left already. She headed down stairs to where Phoebe was making coffee.

"Good morning, sis," Phoebe said, handing her a cup of coffee. "Have a nice night? That's an awful big smile on your face."

Piper took a sip of the coffee. "Shut up, Phoebe."

"Hey, I'm just saying I wish you told me. I would have had Eric spend the night."

"If Eric spent the night, no one in this house would have gotten sleep."

"You're right," Phoebe happily said. Piper just rolled her eyes.

"Piper, you know I really like him, don't you?"

"Yes, I know." She went upstairs to shower and dress.

As she showered, Piper thought about last night. Piper was lucky to have gotten four hours of sleep a night since Mark died. She suffered from insomnia, often sitting up for hours at night, wondering about her life and where it would lead. She was angry. Angry at the world, at nature, at God, at fate, at destiny, and not least of all, at Mark. How could he leave her? Didn't he know how much it hurt her? She knew her anger at Mark was irrational, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't as if he _chose_ toleave her. But when she slept in Leo's arms, she slept the whole night. There were no dreams, no nightmares, just blissful sleep.

Later, Sarah came over and Piper relived last night's events for her. Piper finally confided her deepest thoughts to her. "Sarah, I really like him."

"Do you love him?"

"Not yet. It's too soon. But I think I'm falling for him." She played with the ring on her left hand.

Sarah hugged her. "I'm so happy for you."

"I'm scared." She was still playing with the ring.

"Piper, I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone before." Sarah held out her left hand and on it sat a gold band with and intricate design and many small gems. "Do you know where I got this ring from?"

"You told me your parents were jewelers. I figured you got it from them."

"Right on one part. My parents did make it, but they didn't give it to me."

Piper waited for her to continue. "My husband gave it to me. We married when I was twenty-four. Marcus was in the military and we just bought a house in San Francisco after we married. Six months later, Marcus was at work. He was working at the front gate as one of the guards who checks clearance for people entering the base. Well, he refused to give access to someone, and they shot him in the neck. They killed him for doing his job." A single tear ran down her caramel-colored skin.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know," Piper said, wrapping her in a hug. But Sarah didn't break down like Piper would have. Piper now had more respect for Sarah than ever, and she always had respected Sarah a great deal.

Sarah wiped the single tear away. "Piper, both of us need to move on. You have a great guy and I met someone I _might_ like last night."

Piper squealed with delight. "Tell me all about it."

When Sarah finished talking, Piper hugged her again. "I'm so happy for you."

Sarah grabbed Piper's hand with the ring. "This is what you and I are going to do. On the count of three, we're going to take off our rings. We're going to move on. Okay?"

"Okay."

"One," Sarah said, and they put their fingers around their rings.

"Two."

"Three," they said in unison and took off their rings.

Piper felt much better. Sarah put her ring on the necklace around her neck, but Piper took hers and put it in the box she kept in her dresser drawer. She put in the box, put the box in the drawer, and firmly closed the drawer.


	17. Two Become One

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 17: Two Become One**

Leo and Eric pulled up to the apartment complex and got out of the unmarked police car. Close behind them was officers Hernandez and Thomas. They were here o see if any tenants had seen or heard anything about the murder that happened in the parking lot the previous night.

On the first floor, the team split up. "Hernandez, Thomas, take the apartments to the right. Trest and I will take the left."

Out of the eight apartments interviewed, only six were home and no one claimed to seen a thing.

They moved on to the second floor. As they climbed the stairs, they heard yelling. They climbed the stairs and heard the shouts grow louder. They were coming from the first apartment on the right. All four police officers surrounded the door. Leo knocked on the door. "Police. Is everything okay?"

The yelling now turned into blood-curdling screams. All the officers drew their weapons. Leo pounded on the door. "Police! We're coming in!"

He tried the knob, but it was locked. Leo nodded and Eric kicked open the door. Leo was the first to enter, weapon drawn. To his right was a closet, and to his left was nothing but wall. Leo saw the man holding a gun to the woman's head. He reverted his aim towards Leo who rolled to the left. Leo was back in a crouching position after he rolled, but the gunman paid no attention to him. He was firing off shots at Hernandez and Thomas who just entered. Leo watched them drop to the floor.

"No!!" Leo screamed.

Upon hearing Leo scream, the gunman turned towards Leo. He began shooting, but Leo was able to take cover behind the wall leading to the hallway just in time.

"San Francisco Police Department! Put your weapon down NOW!" he heard Eric yell from outside the doorway.

"Eric!" Leo yelled. "Get out of here! Go call for backup!"

But Eric, as immature and unreliable he was in his personally life, was a top class officer. His partner was in there, and he was not going to leave him.

Eric came in shooting. The gunman shot back, letting the woman he was holding hostage fall to the floor. She hunkered down in a corner, away from the line of fire. Now that the woman was out of the way, Leo had a clean shot. He took it, landing two in the gunman's chest. A last bullet flew out of the gunman's gun, getting so close to Leo it cut his skin, burning. Leo didn't even notice. He didn't even check to see if the gunman was alive. He wasn't moving, so Leo didn't care.

Leo quickly called in for backup and began to check on the other officers. Hernandez was dead. He took a shot to the chest, directly to the heart. His heart was instantly pierced, resulting in minimal bleeding. Thomas had taken a bullet to the jugular. There was no chance of his survival. He was dead on impact.

Tears were now streaming down Leo's face. These were his coworkers, his friends. He was thoroughly crying by the time he made it to Eric, expecting him to be dead.

"Leo," Eric cried out in a weak voice. Leo rushed to his side and bent down to him, cradling his head in his lap.

Eric tried to say something, but Leo wouldn't let him. "Save your energy. Help's on the way. You'll be fine." Leo could hear ambulance sirens in the distance.

Eric began to shake, almost spastically. Leo took off his jacket and pressed it against his abdomen wound.

_Please, hurry_, Leo pleaded with the approaching sirens.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The telephone rang and Piper went to pick it up. "Hello?" Piper asked in a cheerful voice.

Phoebe, who was passing by, said, "You are to goddamn cheery."

Piper's cheerfulness ended when she heard Andy's voice on the other end. "Piper, there's been a shootout."

"Oh my God! Leo." Piper sat down on the couch. Phoebe, hearing Piper's end of the conversation, sat next to her on the couch.

"Two officers with him were killed. Eric is in the hospital in emergency surgery. They don't think he'll make it."

Phoebe, who could now hear Andy's voice through the phone, let out a sob.

"But Leo?"

"He's unhurt. Just a bullet graze. But, Piper, emotionally, he's a wreck. He needs you."

"Where is he?"

"He should be at his apartment. They wouldn't let his stay at the hospital."

"I'll go straight there." She hung up and turned to Phoebe. "I'm so sorry."

"I want to go to the hospital," she said, a note of desperation in her voice. Almost close to hysteria.

"Okay. I'll drop you off on the way to Leo's."

Piper drove hurriedly, over the speed limit by at least twenty miles at all times. She dropped Phoebe off at the hospital and headed towards Leo's. Once she parked, she saw his car and knew he was home.

She had no clue what apartment he was in, so she looked on the mailboxes. Apartment 301. As Leo was reading the mailboxes, a little kid came in and unlocked the inner door with a key. He even held open the door for Piper. "Thank you," she said.

As she climbed the stairs to Leo's apartment, her worry for him grew. What could she do to help him?

But before she knew it, she was at the door, knocking. Leo answered the door in pajamas, hair ruffled, eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed.

"Oh, Leo." Piper said and she embraced him.

Leo didn't say a word. He just hugged her close and cried on her shoulder.

Being a foot shorter than Leo, Piper led him to the couch so Leo didn't have to hunch over.

Piper sat on the couch and held him as he cried, much like the way he held her in the park.

After a while Leo clamed down a bit. "Why are you here?" He wasn't ungrateful, just curious.

Piper kissed his forehead, his eyes, his lips. "When Andy called me and told me there had been a shootout, I thought you were dead. I couldn't take it. I couldn't live without you." She once again kissed his forehead, worked her way down to her eyes, and this time when she met his lips, he kissed her back.

Piper leaned back on the arm of the couch, Leo's head on her lap. She ran her hands through his hair as he told her of the day's events. "I held Eric as he died," was how Leo finished the tale.

Piper tilted back his head, forcing him to make eye contact with her. "Sweetheart, Eric didn't die. He's in surgery."

"But he won't make it. It's my fault. He came in after me."

"Don't talk like that. Eric will make it through. It wasn't your fault. Eric would have gone into that apartment regardless if you were there or not. So stop talking like that."

Leo took her hand and kissed it. "What would I do with out you?"

Piper smiled, brushing loose hair behind her ear. "What would _I_ do without_ you_?"

Leo kept kissing her hand, working his way to her fingertips. When he finally made it to her left hand, he realized something missing. "Where's your ring?"

"I took it off."

"Why?"

"Because it was time."

Piper saw him smile.

Her cell phone rang and she reached for her bag on the floor. "Hello?" she answered.

It was Phoebe, telling her there was no change in his condition.

"Piper, I'm scared. He's no better."

"But he's not worse either. Just keep a clear head. It won't help him any if you lose it."

She finished her conversation with Phoebe and turned back to Leo and repeated the conversation.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?" she gently asked him.

"No. If I'm in a hospital too long, I tart to have a panic attack."

Piper was surprised. Was it possible a man as big and strong as Leo could have a panic attack? "Why?"

"My mom died in childbirth with me. When I was nineteen, my dad died of a heart attack in the hospital. They weren't able to save either of them. My parents were wonderful. I don't remember my mom, but my parents made videotapes before I was born. My mom was so beautiful. She talked about all the plans she had for me. All the stuff she wanted to do with me. She never got to do any of it." His voice was thick with emotion. "What happened to your mom?"

"She drowned in a lake at our summer camp. I was five when they told me I wouldn't see her anymore. I didn't understand at the time. But Prue was there when they… when they dragged her body out of the lake. I think that's why she's so protective of Phoebe and me. She's seen death up close."

"I'm sorry," he said, still kissing her hand. He turned over her hand and kissed her palm, right along her scar. "Is that from Toby?"

Piper drew her hand away, surprised. "How do you know about that?" She never told him about the incidents with Toby.

He sat up and faced her. He looked at her sheepishly. "After you told me about Mark, I was interested and looked up the old files. I also found the files about Toby, about what he tried to do to you." He put one hand on her face. "I'm sorry he tried to hurt you. I wish you had never gone through that."

Leo held her hands and traced the scar with his thumb. Piper kissed him, adding more passion as the kiss continued. Leo's hands were exploring the skin underneath her shirt as her cell phone rang. Piper was tempted to let it ring, but answered just in case it was Phoebe. It was.

"He made it!" Phoebe exclaimed in a cheerful voice. Piper could tell her sister was crying with happiness. "He's still unconscious and the doctors say he's not out of the woods yet, but he survived the surgery. That's something to hope for, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. He'll make it." _When did I become a goddamn optimist?_ Piper wondered. When did she become so sure everything would have a happy ending? God knows she had enough events in her life to prove the opposite. It was Leo. Leo turned her into a person with a better outlook. She hadn't realized it, but she had become a cynic in the last two years.

Piper hung up with Phoebe and looked at Leo. He could tell by the expression on her face that Eric made it.

Piper, who was straddling Leo's hips, said, "Leo Wyatt, you have turned me into a goddamned optimist."

"Is that a bad thing?" he said with the first genuine smile she had seen out of him all day.

"I guess not," she said, teasing him. His hands were once again exploring her skin, working their way from her back to her front. Piper leaned down to kiss him, but one of her hands touched the sore area of his side where the bullet grazed him.

Leo sucked in a sharp breath and both of them went tumbling off of the couch. Leo landed on top of Piper, who whapped her head on the floor with a solid thud. Leo pulled himself up onto his elbows.

"Are you okay?" he asked her as she rubbed her head. She sat up as far as she could with Leo on top of her.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Never better." He looked at their positioning on the floor, him on top of her. He smiled. "I have you just were I want you."

"Do you? Always have to be on top, huh?"

Leo kissed her and she passionately returned the kiss. "Maybe we should go to the bed," Leo suggested huskily.

"Okay," Piper said breathlessly.

Piper didn't recall how they made it to the bedroom without breaking the kiss, but they did and their clothes were soon gone, the two of them melting into one in a timeless act of love.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: This is my favorite chapter so far. Please review and let me know if you agree. I was going to kill Eric, but I had a bout of sympathy for Phoebe and decided against it. So let me know what you think of Piper and Leo.**


	18. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 18: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream **

Leo woke up in the morning hardly believing the previous day's events. He had lost two friends, had one hanging on the verge of death, and made love to the woman he loved. It was true. He loved Piper. He had slept with other women before, but nothing had been like this before.

Piper stretched out luxuriously beside him. She gave him a sleepy smile and stretched at little more.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Of course. You?"

"Never better."

They positioned themselves so Piper was lying on his bare chest, looking into his eyes. They laid like that for a while, just being comfortable with each other. It wasn't until Leo's stomach rumbled that Piper remembered she hadn't eaten in almost twenty-four hours.

She laughed. "Let me find us something to eat."

"There isn't much. I didn't have time to go shopping."

"I'm a chef. I'll find something."

"Nice shirt," he said, commenting on the long sleeve, flannel shirt of his she wore. It came only to mid-thigh, showing off her great legs.

"Thanks. It's a Leo Wyatt original." She walked to the kitchen, grabbing her cell phone off the coffee table in case Phoebe called.

She searched the refrigerator and cabinets, but she couldn't find any suitable food.

But when she opened the freezer, she hit jackpot. There was a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

"Perfect," she said and grabbed a spoon.

She headed back into the room where Leo was still lying in bed. When he saw her choice of food, he gave her a questioning look. "Mint chocolate chip ice cream, recommended by chefs everywhere."

"If you say so."

"I do."

He sat up and Piper sat on his lap, facing him, barely leaving any space in between them. She put some ice cream on the spoon and lifted it to his lips. He ate the ice cream and took the spoon from her.

They took turns feeding each other, and eventually Leo kept moving the spoon away from her, making her follow it. Piper chased the spoon with her mouth, but as she almost reached it, Leo ate it.

"Hey! That was _my_ ice cream," she told him. He just smiled and Piper kissed him as if trying to get her ice cream back.

After breaking the chocolate-flavored kiss, Leo looked into Piper's brown eyes. "I love you, Piper Halliwell."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Several men walked stealthily around the manor, checking for occupants. It appeared to be empty. But that was fine. They were under orders from their boss to kidnap the woman by any means necessary, including the order to kill anyone who got in their way.

The men walked back to the non-descript vehicles sporadically placed around the manor.

To wait.

To kill.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper was shocked by what Leo said. She sat up in surprise and looked at him. He watched her, too, waiting for a response. Piper knew what her response was, she just wasn't sure if she could say it to him.

"I, um, I… oh jeeze."

Leo placed his hands on her waist. "Just calm down." He pulled on the hair tie that held up her hair in a messy bun. Now her hair spilled down her shoulders. "You have beautiful hair. You should wear it down more often."

He was trying to relax her, and it was working for the most part. "I think I love you too," she replied to him.

"You _think_?" he asked, but he was smiling.

"No, I mean I _do_, I do love you, I'm just a little… overwhelmed."

"I think I can fix that," he said, kissing her.

But then her cell phone rang. Piper let out a sigh and placed her head on Leo's chest. She reached for the phone and answered it with an unenthusiastic "Hello?"

"He's awake! Eric's awake!" Phoebe's voice told her. "He's asking for Leo. He wants to see him."

"Alright. We'll be there in a minute." She hung up and repeated the conversation to Leo.

Leo gave a smile of relief. "So he's alive?"

"Yes. And he wants to see you. Let's head over there now. We can go to my place afterwards and get some real breakfast."

"Isn't this a real breakfast?" he asked, holding up the empty ice cream carton.

She just kissed him and began to search for her clothes.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The leader of the men on stakeout received a call saying they had a tail on the woman's car. She was currently inside the hospital and a tall man walked in with her.

The leader thanked the man on the other end of the phone and hung up.

He loved the smell of blood in the morning.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper could tell Leo was terrified of hospitals. He grasped her hand so tightly it hurt, but she didn't ask him to release pressure in case he might turn and run.

When they first entered the hospital, they saw a woman being wheeled out in a wheel chair, a newborn in her arms. The father happily stood behind them, lugging balloons and bags.

Leo just looked down at the floor when he saw them, not saying a word. Piper tugged on his hand, urging him forward. He meekly followed.

They took the long way to the ICU where Eric was. Piper wanted to avoid the maternity ward in case Leo couldn't take it and bolted.

When they reached the ICU, they were told they could see Eric for fifteen minutes. Phoebe was already in the room, holding his hand. Piper had never seen her little sister so dedicated to anything before.

Piper thought Eric looked horrible. She wondered if he was even alive. His skin was pasty and ashen and all the tubes and monitors made it hard to tell where machines ended and Eric began.

But he opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. Leo finally let go of Piper's hand and sat down in the chair Phoebe just vacated.

Piper and Phoebe left the room, giving Leo and Eric some privacy. Phoebe hugged Piper. "I'm so happy he's okay."

"Me too. Did you want to come home with us?"

"No, I want to stay here. At home I'll just worry. If I'm here at least I can keep him company if he's awake."

"Okay."

"If you come back later, will you bring me a change of clothes?"

"Sure."

Their fifteen minutes were soon up. Leo and Piper said good-bye to Phoebe and Eric and headed out to Piper's car.

Leo didn't speak until they were almost at the manor. "He looks bad, but I think he'll make it."

"I do too."

They pulled into the driveway.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The team leader waited until the prey was in the house. Then he made the signal. All the men grabbed their guns.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: What do you think? Who's the creepy men's boss? Read on to find out!**


	19. Under Siege

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 19: Under Siege **

Piper laid her bag on the couch in the living room but left her jacket on. Leo took her in his arms and kissed her, happy she was finally his. Leo broke the kiss and held her to his chest. He looked out the front window and his heart clenched in fear. About six men were getting out of various vehicles across the street, all wearing black.

"Piper?"

"Yeah?"

"Run."

"What?"

"Run!" he yelled and pushed her down to the floor as the first bullets shattered the window.

Piper screamed and crawled on the floor. She didn't stop until she reached the landing of the stairs. She curled into a ball in the corner of the wall, screaming. Leo was soon beside her, leaning against her and trying to shield her from flying shrapnel. The bullets were getting to close to protect her for long.

Her hands were covering her face. He pulled them away and made her look at him. "Piper!" he yelled over the roar of bullets. "Why I say now, climb to the top of the stairs! Keep low to the ground! Don't stop no matter what!"

She just nodded her head and screamed as a bullet pierced the wall above her. The bullets stopped for just a second, probably to reload.

"Now!" Leo shouted and he and Piper took off for the top of the stairs, staying low. They were almost there when Leo heard her scream. Afraid she had been hit, he turned around.

A man dressed in black had her by the ankle and was dragging her down the stairs.

Leo acted instinctively by standing up and lashing out his foot into the guy's face. He fell down the stairs with a scream.

Leo helped Piper up and they began to go back up the stairs. But the man's scream seemed to have attracted his friends, for there were now three men dressed in black at the bottom of the stairs.

"All we want is the woman," one of the men said with a faint accent. Japanese, Chinese, or Vietnamese, Leo couldn't tell.

Leo made use Piper was safely behind him. She put her head between his shoulder blades and held on to his shirt. "No."

The three men charged up the stairs. Leo might have been able to take them if one of them didn't have a gun or if the bullet graze in his side wasn't hurting so badly. But under the circumstances, he was out powered.

Leo took out the guy with the gun first. They began wrestling on the stairs. But as the two wrestled, the other two men in black grabbed Piper and began carrying her out of the manor.

"Leo!" she screamed, struggling against her captors. "Let go of me!"

"Piper!' Leo yelled back. The man he was wrestling took his momentary lapse in attention to send him a blow to the head. Before he knew what was happening, the man in black pushed him over the side railing of the stairs and Leo fell on the table below. The table buckled beneath his weight.

"Leo!" Piper screamed, but his body made no movement in response.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: Sorry about the short chapter, but I thought that would be a good place to leave it. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	20. Missing

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 20: Missing**

When Leo regained consciousness, Andy, Darryl, Phoebe, and Prue were standing over him.

"Where is she?" a hysterical Phoebe asked.

It took Leo a minute to remember who she was talking about. But it all came rushing back. The gunman, the bullets, Piper, kidnapped.

"Piper!" he said, trying to sit up.

Andy and Darryl forced him to lie back down. "Easy there. You may have a neck injury. Just wait until one of the paramedics checks you out."

"I'm fine," he insisted, sitting up with a wave of dizziness. "I don't need to be checked out! We have to find Piper. They took her."

"Who took her?"

"The men with guns."

"What!" Prue exclaimed. "Oh my God!" Andy went to Prue to calm her and Phoebe down as Leo recounted the incident to Darryl.

"Thanks, Leo. Just take it easy."

For the first time since regaining consciousness, Leo looked around the manor. Bullets had shattered all the windows. It was raining out and the rain blew in through the non-existent windows. The flashing lights of police vehicles and ambulances could be easily seen in the growing darkness. A crowd had gathered in the front on the manor, behind the yellow police tape.

Leo was angry with them. They were standing there, doing nothing while Piper was out there somewhere, kidnapped and mostly likely hurt.

But if Leo was truthful with himself, he would realize he was mad at himself for not protecting Piper. He should have done more. It didn't matter the guy threw him over the railing and onto a table. He should have been able to protect her. He blamed himself for that.

But if he was being truthful with himself, he might as well admit what bothered him the most. Piper was probably dead already. Nobody with that much firepower and aggression was looking to kidnap a club owner for money. Nope. Piper was dead.

Good thing Leo wasn't being honest with himself.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Her captors knocked her out in the car. When she regained consciousness, she found herself bound to a chair in a warehouse. She could hear people talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Piper's head drooped to her chest and she forced herself to keep it up. Everything around her was spinning, making her sick to her stomach.

A figure approached her, but with her double vision it made it hard to see any details.

"Where…where am I?"

The man slapped her. "Shut up!" he growled. She gave a gasp of pain and she felt a trickle of blood run from the corner of her mouth.

Piper vaguely recognized the voice. It sounded familiar to her. "Who are you?"

The man growled again. But instead of slapping her, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled backwards. She let out another gasp of pain. He tilted her head father backwards and she opened her eyes. She thought her heart would stop when she recognized who it was.

"_You_!" she said to him, and he punched her so hard, she blacked out.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: (Evil music plays) The end! No, I'm just kidding! So who is it? Is it Toby, rapist? Is it Tony, murderer? Is it Mark, dead guy? Is it some new threat? Read on to find out. Please review and let me know what you thought about her kidnapping! **


	21. Disconnected

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 21: Disconnected **

Leo stood in the middle of the mess that was once the manor. He looked around, not really looking at anything in particular. He rubbed his sore shoulder, the one he hurt when he was thrown over the railing of the stairs.

The phone rang and Phoebe answered it. Leo did pay attention to her until she shouted with surprise, "Piper! Oh my God! Where are you?!"

Leo ran to Phoebe and got close enough to hear Piper's end of the conversation.

Leo could hear from her voice she was trying not to cry. "I'm at--," her sentence was cut off by a long, high-pitched scream followed by a loud thump. Leo winced when he heard it.

"Stupid bitch," he heard a masculine voice say and the phone call ended.

Phoebe looked at the phone with the buzzing dial tone in her hand. "I was less worried _before _she called."

_Me too_, he thought as Phoebe began to cry and he hugged her. _Me too_.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper's head was swimming. The last time he punched her she thought her head was going to explode. It burned with pain, and with her hands tied, literally, there was nothing she could do about it. She just braced herself for the next punch.

When she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she cried out, "Bathroom. I have to use the bathroom." Piper just hoped it could buy her a few minutes. Her cell phone was in the pocket of the light jacket she was wearing.

Her captor released the ropes that bound her feet to the chair, but he left her hands tied. He led her to a small bathroom across the warehouse she was being kept in. He shoved her into the bathroom and said. "Three minutes, not a second more." He then closed the door, waiting on the outside.

When Piper and Leo went to visit Eric in the hospital, Piper had turned her phone on silent. She was happy for that now since her phone made no noise when she turned it on and dialed the number for home.

It took all she could not to cry when she heard Phoebe's voice on the other line. "Phoebe," she whispered, not wanting her captor to hear. Her voice broke when she said her sister's name.

"Piper! Oh my God! Where are you?!" Piper couldn't hold back the tears when she heard the concern and worry in her sister's voice.

"I'm at --" But Piper spoke to loudly. Tony Wong came crashing into the bathroom, face red with anger.

The came towards her, fist raised. As he punched her she screamed and dropped the phone. The punch came so fast in knocked her to the ground.

"Stupid bitch," he growled at her. He slammed the phone on the ground, breaking it.

Piper wiped her mouth and pulled back a red hand. Her lip was split and bleeding.

Tony grabbed her by the hair and forced her to stand up. AS he marched her out of the bathroom, Piper saw her reflection in the mirror. The left side of her face was purple and blood was oozing from her lip. She was openly crying now, she didn't care. He tied her back up in the chair, mumbling in Chinese the whole time.

When Piper first heard his voice, she thought it had been Mark. But that was stupid on her part. He was dead and never coming back.

He thoughts drifted from Mark to Leo. He had to be dead. The way his body fell from the stairs to the top of the table… it made Piper want to cry every time she thought about it. When she cried out to him, he didn't move. He had to be dead and it was too much for Piper to bear.

Tony Wong was pacing in front of her, talking. But Piper hadn't been listening. Now she tuned in mid-conversation.

"…can't wait 'til we get to China and I can kill you without the American cops on my ass."

"China?"

"I'm going to off you once we get there. Or maybe on the plane." He bent near her and whispered in her ear. "I can't wait to kill you. It's going to be so much fun."

Tears were leaking down Piper's face. "Why?" she whispered.

"Why?! Why?! I'll tell you why. You ruined everything. You just couldn't let your little boyfriend stay missing could you? You had to find out where he was. You led the cops to believe it was him dead, not me. Stupid bitch!" He looked like he was going to punch her again, so Piper closed her eyes and waited for the punch.

But it didn't come. Tony was too wrapped up in himself now. He barely seemed to realize Piper was there. And that's the way she wanted it. But he eventually turned back to her, eyes like fire.

Tony was now going over the details of Marks deaths. Piper wanted to close her ears, but with her hands bound to the chair, it was impossible. So she suffered through the horrid details, tears streaming down her face. He was describing the details of Mark, her first love, the first man she was willing to spend the rest of her life with. Piper closed her eyes and shook her head, not wanting to hear anymore, but Tony continued on.

When Tony was done, Piper asked him, "Why? Why Mark? Of all people why him?" It was a question she frequently asked herself. Why him? Why not the next man to walk down that alley? Piper had so many questions to ask him, but she was afraid to. She had so many questions she didn't want to know the answer to. Yet, she was compelled to ask them.

"Because I needed his identity."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: Like I said, this story is going to follow the first season (but with my own twist). So Wong killed Mark for the same reason he did in the show. That's identity theft for you.**


	22. Break In

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 22: Break-in**

Piper finally put two and two together. "_You're _the one who broke into Mark's apartment and stole his birth certificate!"

"Aren't you a bright one?"

Piper was tempted to tell him to shut up, but she restrained herself. "Why did you need his identity?"

"To get out of the country safely! I had all the cops on my ass. Suspected drug deals, suspected murder… they weren't going to give up on me soon. I was number two on San Francisco's most wanted list. He looked just like me. It was perfect. Until you came and screwed it up."

Piper closed here eyes and leaned her head back. It was too much to take in. Mark was killed because he looked like someone.

"Why do you need me?" she asked, frightened.

"I have a new identity. The man I killed had a wife, so you will be taking her place. Just for the plane ride I have chartered. After that, it's the bottom of the Pacific for you."

Piper held back her tears. He was _serious_. There was no joke in this man's voice.

"Besides, I can't have you or your cop boyfriend messing everything up this time. I may have just killed you in an alley like I did to your old boyfriend if you weren't dating that cop. I know if you turn up dead he'll be all over my ass."

"We won't do anything; I promise. Just let me go and I'll forget this ever happened," Piper begged. She just wanted out of here_ alive_.

Wong just laughed. "I don't think so. You know what, I think I should kill your sisters too. After all, they will be looking for you. _And_ they're dating cops."

"No, please!"

Wong barked out and order in Chinese and one of the men who kidnapped Piper came forward. They conferred for a few seconds and the man took off.

"What did you do?" Piper asked softly. "What did you do?!" she screamed at him. She was hysterical now. That man was going to kill her sisters, Andy, and Eric. He probably would have killed Leo if he weren't already dead.

Wong laughed once again. "Don't worry. You'll be seeing them soon enough. In hell."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo turned and tossed restlessly in Piper's bed. Andy, Prue, Phoebe, and him decided to spend the night here in case they got another call from Piper. Unlikely, but so was getting kidnapped out of your home by a swat team of men with machine guns. Leo wasn't ruling out any possibilities.

He laid on back, looking at the ceiling in the darkness. Maybe he couldn't sleep because this room reminded him so much of Piper. It smelled like her, felt like her.

Leo heard a creak. He cocked an ear, listening for more. There it was again. And again.

Someone was climbing the stairs. It could be Phoebe or Andy or Prue, he reasoned with himself, but why would they be trying to climb them so secretly?

Leo got out of bed and quietly stepped into the hallway, hearing more footsteps. Leo hid against the wall right by the top of the stairs, cloaked in darkness.

If it was Phoebe, Andy, or Prue, he was going to feel like an ass. But if it wasn't, he was probably saving their lives.

The man was at the top of the stairs now. Leo reached out and grabbed the person by the neck and slammed him forward. The person hit the floor and something clattered out of his hand. Leo leaned on the person's back, one knee in the middle of the back, to prevent the person from getting up.

The sound of the body hitting the floor woke up the others and they came into the hallway, turning on lights.

The lights blinded Leo for a moment, since his eyes were adjusted to the darkness. But it soon passed and he saw himself kneeling on top of a Chinese man.

Leo immediately recognized him. Leo pressed down harder on the man. "Where is she?!" Leo demanded of him.

The man didn't reply, but Andy did. "Leo, what the hell are you doing?"

"This is one of the men who took Piper."

Phoebe gasped with surprise and Prue looked like she was going to feint.

But Andy was nothing but calm. "Alright. I'll take him into custody and take him to the station.

But Leo wasn't listening. He twisted the man's arm behind his back.

"Leo, stop it!" Andy yelled at him. This was against police protocol, but Leo didn't care. He was on temporary leave for the shootout involving Eric.

Leo twisted a little harder and leaned in towards the man. "Where is she?"

The man didn't answer, so Leo twisted harder and the man gave a yelp of pain. "Tell me where she is!"

No answer, harder twist.

"Look, if you tell us where she is, you will get a reduced sentence. If you don't help us, I'll make sure you rot in a cell for the rest of your life."

There was no answer, so Leo twisted a little harder and heard a satisfying snap. The bone hadn't broke, but his shoulder was probably dislocated or close to it.

"Alright! Alright!" the man cried out in pain. "Wong has her in a warehouse a little south of 57th."

"Wong?" Andy asked, taken aback. "_Wong_ is behind this?"

The man didn't answer; he just nursed his shoulder.

Leo just looked at the man. "Now you know how I feel," Leo said with no sympathy, since this man threw him over the railing.

Andy cuffed the man and Leo made the call for squad cars be ready to go to the warehouse. The squad cars were going to pick up Andy, Leo, and the man under arrest on the way.

As the squad cars pulled up, Andy put a hand on Leo's chest. "I don't ever want to see anything like that again, understand? From now under you act under protocol."

Leo pushed his hand away. "We got the address, didn't we?" Leo turned and walked out to one of the four waiting squad cars.

Moments later, three of the cars were racing down the highway, sirens blaring. The fourth car had taken the man in custody to the station house.

On the way to save Piper, all Leo could do is pray. _Please let her be alive. Please._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper couldn't breath. Wong had a hold of her throat and he wasn't letting go. Dots swam before her eyes and she knew she was going to black out or die.

Wong finally let go and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. She laid on her side, still bound.

"What did I tell you about trying to escape?" he growled angrily at her.

Piper just tried to breath. She had tried to escape, claiming to use the bathroom again. This time she tried to make a run for it, but Wong caught her in no time.

"Come on, get up. It's time to go?"

"Go where?" Piper gasped as he dragged her off of the floor.

"To the private plane taking us to China. Correction. Taking _me_ to China. You'll be at the bottom of the Pacific before I get there." He laughed and Piper felt the now familiar chill of dread run up her spine.

He took her to the jeep, with the illegally tinted windows, she had been taken here in. He put her in the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Piper didn't know what good it would do. With her hands bound, the seatbelt laid useless across her chest. The lap belt would be the only thing to keep her in her seat if they were to crash.

Wong got in behind the wheel and started the engine. As he pulled out of the parking lot, Piper heard the heavenly sound of sirens.

Wong sped up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As they reached the warehouse, a jeep was just pulling out. The officer driving followed the car under Andy's command. The jeep didn't pull over for the sirens. It sped up if anything.

"That has to be him," Leo said.

Two of the cop cars chased the jeep while the other stayed behind to check out the warehouse.

As the jeep increased speed, so did the squad cars.

Up and up went the speedometers. Up past forty. Past fifty. Past sixty.

It was okay to go that fast on straight road, but there was a big curve up ahead.

The squad car slowed down.

The jeep didn't.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper closed her eyes, not wanting to see the speedometer climb anymore. When she opened them again, they were going around the curve way too fast.

Wong finally seemed to notice and slammed on brakes and jerked the wheel to the right.

He lost control of the car and it went spinning.

Spinning, spinning, and spinning.

It didn't stop until it slammed into the tree with sickening crunch.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: Oohh! Maybe the car will blow up and Wong will die! Maybe not! Wait until the next chapter to find out. Please let me know how you think the story is going so far.**


	23. Reunion

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 23: Reunion**

Leo watched as the jeep spun into the tree. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Leo knew Piper was in that car and not the warehouse.

His suspicion was confirmed when a voice on the radio said, "The warehouse is clear. No one's here."

The squad car pulled over to the side of the road where the jeep was a wreck. Leo hopped out of the squad car and headed towards the passenger side. He looked through the illegally tinted windows and saw Piper slumped against the window. Not knowing if she had a head or neck injury, Leo hesitated to take her out of the car.

His hesitation was abolished when one of the officers's called out, "There's smoke and I see something leaking from the engine."

Leo opened the door and tried to gently lift Piper out of the jeep, but her knees were jammed under the dashboard. It was a little difficult, but he was finally able to maneuver her out with the help of Andy.

He took a look at the left side of her face and saw the huge purple bruise. He wondered if it was from the accident, but then he saw the ligature mark on her neck. No ay she had gotten those in the accident. Leo was ready to kill Wong if he wasn't already dead.

"I'll call an ambulance," one of the officers said after getting Wong out of the vehicle and handcuffing him in the squad car. He was semi-conscious and cussing out the officer every chance he got.

"No, it'll be quicker if we drive them," Leo said. He laid Piper in the backseat of the squad car. "It'll take the ambulance at least twenty minutes and we can be there in ten."

Leo got in the back seat with Piper and put her head in his lap. He smoothed the hair away from her face, careful to avoid the bruise.

He thought he saw her open her eyes, but they closed so quick he wasn't sure.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper could hear movement and voices, but she couldn't tell who they belonged to. She was guessing the police, but there was not way to be sure. She felt herself being moved, but she couldn't tell who it was. She was laid on something soft and her head rested in someone's lap.

She strained to open her eyes and look at her rescuer. She saw green eyes before darkness enveloped her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo waited outside the hospital room with Andy, Prue, Phoebe, Darryl, and Shelia. The doctor was getting Piper situated. According to him, except for a concussion, a cracked rib, and bruising, she was fine. They had her on oxygen to ease her breathing. It appears she was choked during her time held captive.

Leo wanted to strangle Wong. Good thing he wasn't at the station house. Wong wouldn't live to see the inside of a jail cell.

The doctor finally allowed them in the room. Phoebe and Prue immediately sat next to their sister, each holding one of her hands. Leo stood by the foot of the bed, one hand on the blankets covering her feet. Andy, Darryl, and Shelia hung back towards the wall. The room was a little crowed with six visitors.

Piper was still on the bed, only the beeping of the heart monitors ensured Leo she was alive.

They sat there for hours, talking once and a while. It grew dark outside and Darryl and Shelia left. An hour later, Andy convinced Prue to leave with him, and she consented only because Leo agreed to stay. Phoebe left to visit Eric for a while, so Leo was alone with Piper.

He sat next to her, holding her hand, until he fell asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

When Piper awoke, she was lying on a soft bed, darkness all around her. For a brief second she panicked, thinking she was back in the warehouse. She looked around, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She felt something holding her hand and she looked down. In the darkness, it was impossible to tell who the hunkering form with their head on the bed was. Piper lifted her hand and put it on top of the person's head.

The person felt her hand and looked up. "Oh my God. Leo."

"Piper," he said.

"I thought you were dead," she said, tears breaking into her voice.

"Me?" Leo asked as if it were the most ludicrous thing.

"They threw you over the railing… you hit that table… I called your name but you didn't move…" Piper was openly crying now. "I was so worried."

Leo kissed her forehead. Tears were now leaking out of his eyes. She had been through hell and back, but she still worried about him the whole time.

Piper scooted over in the bed, making room for Leo. Leo sat down and the bed sagged beneath his weight. He put his arms around her and she laid her head on his chest. He held her close, thankful to have her back.

Piper yawned. "Leo, when I leave the hospital can I stay with you? I won't feel safe at the manor any more."

"Of course."

"I love you," she said as she drifted off to sleep.

"I love you too," he replied to her already sleeping form. "You have no idea how much."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo was still awake when the night nurse came in to take Piper's temperature and blood pressure. Leo started to get out of bed but the nurse stopped him.

"You stay right where you are, peach." Leo had no clue where she got the nickname 'peach'. "You're a doll, you know that," she said as she gently slid the thermometer into Piper's mouth. "She loves you so much."

Leo was beginning to wonder if the plump, jovial nurse was psychic. "How do you know?"

"Look at the smile on her face. That's the first time I've seen her smile since she's been here."

Leo looked down at the slightly smiling Piper and smiled himself.

"See? And she makes you smile."

"Yeah, she does."

The nurse finished up. "I'll see you later, peach." She bounced out of the room.

Leo just smiled and shook his head. But the nurse was right. Piper did make him happy. He just hoped he made her happy too.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo walked down the hallway towards Piper's room, soda can in hand. She was going to be released in a couple of hours and Prue was on her way to fill out paper work.

"Code blue, room 216, Code blue, room 216." Leo knew code blue meant someone was crashing and they needed doctors to revive them. 216 was the room number. Leo knew Piper was in the wing of the hospital with rooms 210-224. He feared it was her.

Leo dropped the can and ran to Piper's room. He sprinted down the hallway and didn't stop until he was in her room.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Piper sitting up in bed, perfectly fine. Leo went to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

Piper was surprised. "What was that for?"

Leo didn't explain the code blue to her. "Just making sure you're okay."

"What's really wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to let you know I love you."

"I love you too."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper left the hospital later that day and stayed at Leo's. During the night she was plagued by nightmares, by the thought of being back in that warehouse.

At one point during the night, she woke up in a cold sweat and was forced to swallow back a scream as not to wake Leo. She untangled herself from the covers and his embrace. She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She grabbed the edge of the sink, shaking. She looked at her bruises in the mirror. They were beginning to turn yellow around the edges. Her split lip finally stopped bleeding every time she talked.

When she returned to the room, Leo was sitting up in bed, waiting for her. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah," she said, climbing back in bed. "Just a bad dream."

Piper laid on her side and closed her eyes. Leo laid behind her, holding her close. He loved how she fit perfect.

Leo gently touched her split lip. "He's in jail, you know. He can't hurt you anymore."

"I know," she said, turning to face him. "But that doesn't stop the nightmares."

Leo gently traced the yellowing edge of her bruise. "He won't hurt you anymore. I won't let him. Neither will Andy or Darryl. You've got San Francisco's finest watching out for you."

"Then San Francisco's in trouble, isn't it?" Piper asked with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Leo looked hurt, so Piper said, "I'm just kidding. You are San Francisco's finest and I'm thankful for that."

Leo still looked a little hurt, so Piper kissed away his hurt expression.

Little did she know, her comment wasn't too far off.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: This is one of the last chapters! I'm sorry. I know how much you loved this story. I want to thank all of you who reviewed. There is one more big surprise for Piper before the story ends. I hope you like it.**


	24. Dinner and a Shootout

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 24: Dinner and a Shootout**

Four weeks later, Piper, Leo, Prue, Andy, Phoebe, Eric, Darryl, and Shelia all sat around a large table at a fancy restaurant. Piper's bruises had faded enough so she could cover them up with make-up. She was wearing that little red dress Leo loved on her. Leo thought she had never looked so good.

Eric, except for being a little pale, was looking like his old self. Since being released from the hospital, this was his first night out to celebrate.

And that is what tonight was. A celebration. For Piper and Eric, both who were able to overcome major difficulties.

Andy lifted his wine glass and said, "To Piper and Eric. May no one have to go through the hell you two did."

"Amen to that," Darryl seconded. Everyone clinked glassed and Piper blushed.

"And too Leo, for being reinstated on the force." Everyone clinked glasses again. Leo was given a mandatory three weeks off after the shooting in the apartment that killed two officers and wounded one. Internal Affairs invested the case and cleared Leo of any possible misconduct. IA had given him a clean report, saying he did everything he should have.

Leo took a sip of his wine and leaned back in his chair. He had one arm through protectively over the back of Piper's, as if she would slip away from him.

Andy and Prue were discussing their wedding plans. Piper and Phoebe would be bridesmaids and Eric and Leo would be groomsmen. Darryl heard this and said, "What is it with you Halliwells and cops?"

Piper just smiled at Leo. Phoebe looked at Eric and said, "I don't know. It's a sister thing I guess." Everyone laughed.

Piper excused herself to use the restroom. As she was washing her hands, the mulled over how well the evening was going.

Then she heard a click behind her. "Don't move," a masculine voice said.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo was laughing at a joke Andy told when his cell phone rang.

"Wyatt here," he answered with a slight laugh.

All laughter was gone when Leo heard what the officer on the other side had to say. "Wong escaped."

"What do you mean he escaped?!" Everyone at the table was looking at him now.

"We were transferring him to county lockup and he bolted. He managed to pick the locks on his cuffs. He took down to officers."

"Holy shit."

"That's not all. They heard him talking in his sleep last night. All he would say is 'I'm going to kill that Halliwell bitch'."

"Piper," Leo said. He looked up in the direction towards the bathroom. He saw Piper walking, but she wasn't coming back towards the table. A man walked behind her. Tony Wong.

Piper made eye contact with him for a split second.

But that second was all Leo needed to see the fear in her eyes.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Tony Wong pressed a gun to her back. "Don't say a word. We're going to walk out of here and go towards the roof. Don't bring attention to yourself or I'll shoot you and everyone else. Got it?"

Piper only nodded her head.

"Alright. Go."

Piper tried to walk calmly out of the bathroom and past the dinning room. But she was terrified. She could barely stand on her own two feet.

She could see Leo and the group across the dinning room. Leo was on his cell phone, looking worried. He looked up and stared right at her.

But Tony Wong pressed the gun harder into her back and she stopped looking at him.

Tony led her to a door he had obviously propped open earlier. He pushed her through the door and made sure it locked shut behind him.

Seconds later, Piper heard pounding on the door. But it was a barrier, one that separated her from safety and death. Safety pounding on the door and she was being forced in the opposite direction.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Wong escaped," was all Leo said to Andy and Darryl before quickly walking across the dining room to following Piper and Wong. He had his hand on the butt of his weapon, but kept it concealed as not to cause a panic.

The door to the stairs slammed closed seconds before he could reach it. Leo tried the handle only to find it locked. Leo pounded his fists on the door. He didn't care if everyone in the dinning room was looking towards the noise. Piper was upstairs with a _murderer_.

One of the waiters came over to him, but Andy flashed credentials and asked to have the door opened. The waiter obeyed, giving them a weird look. He looked as if he wanted to ask a question as he opened the door, but Leo just swept past him and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Andy and Darryl were at his side, guns drawn and ready to shoot. Phoebe, Prue, and Eric followed behind, but were making slower pace due to Eric's inability to do much physical work with his injury.

Leo was the first one to burst through the open door to the roof. Wong was standing at the edge of the roof, one arm around Piper's neck, the other holding a gun to her head.

"San Francisco PD! Put down the weapon and take a step away from the roof!" Leo hollered to him.

"Take a step closer and I'll blow her head off!" Wong screamed back.

Leo took a small step forward. "You don't want to do that. If you let her go, it'll help you in court."

"Let her go?" Wong let out a laugh. "Let her _go_? This bitch ruined everything. Every time I'm almost home free, she has to screw it up." He dragged the gun across her face. "Jus couldn't stay out of it, could you? Just couldn't let your dumb boyfriend go, could you? Could you?!"

His anger was boiling into rage and Leo was afraid Wong was going to shoot Piper in a moment of heated rage.

Wong was wildly yelling at Piper now, His arms flinging every which way, no longer training the gun on Piper. If only Leo could get a clear shot…

Wong grabbed Piper by the back of her hair, pulling her head back, forcing her to take a step backward.

But Piper was already on the edge of the roof. There was no room to step backwards.

It was if time slowed down. Piper began to fall backwards and Wong release hold of her. A bullet hole ripped through Wong's chest. Darryl had released the first shot. Andy followed suit, and then Leo.

Leo reached the edge of the roof just in time to watch Piper tumble to the ground. Her body landed on the closed plastic lid of a dumpster, bounced off and landed with a thud on the pavement.

Wong, riddled with bullets and dead, landed on the pavement a few feet away from Piper. Nothing broke his fall from the rooftop to the pavement below.

Prue let out a scream and Leo was brought back to reality. The whole event had probably taken five seconds, fifteen at the most, but it seemed like minutes, hours.

Leo ran down the nearby fire escape, not bothering to pull down the last ladder, but jumped the last few feet. He stumbled as he landed on the pavement, but he didn't let it slow him down. He ran past Wong's body, not even noticing him, and ran to Piper, her beautiful body in the red dress lying in a broken heap.

He bent next to her and tried to wake her up, but she was unconscious. Leo tried to push all his personal feelings aside and treat this like an emergency.

_Okay,_ he told himself, pushing away panic_, check for breathing_.

Leo looked, felt, and listened for breathing, but there was none. He gave two rescue breaths and checked for a pulse.

He couldn't find one.

"Damn it," he said and started chest compressions. Andy was at his side now, giving Piper two breaths after every fifteen compressions.

As he gave Piper chest compressions, tears ran down his face. Damn trying to stay objective. Damn trying to keep a clear head. This was _Piper_. She was the most important thing in his life. If he wasn't allowed to show a little emotion now, when the hell was he supposed to?

He preformed chest compressions, the tears flowing freely. _Come on, Piper. Breath. Just breath._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper felt herself falling, sailing through the air. But after she hit the top of the dumpster, she was floating upwards, up and up, to a place where no one could bring her back.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: Will Piper live or die? (Hint: Mark is going to be in this next chapter!) Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, I appreciate it so much. I'm glad you like the story so much. **


	25. In the Clouds

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 25: In the Clouds**

A coma. Piper was in a coma.

The doctors had no clue if she would wake up again. Right now, the only thing that could be done for her is to treat her other injuries. And there were a lot. Multiple concussions, dislocated shoulder, seven fractured ribs, broken ankle, and swelling of the spinal column. No internal injuries, thank God.

The doctors set her broken ankle, relocated her shoulder, and bandaged her rib cage. The doctors were luckily able to reduce the swelling of her spinal column, meaning she wouldn't be paralyzed if she woke up.

If she woke up.

Those four words scared Leo. She had to wake up. How could she not?

When Leo asked the doctor if there was anything he could do, the doctor simply said, "Talk to her. And pray. Those are the only things that can help her now." Leo nodded her head and began to walk away, but the doctor said, "You performing CPR saved her. But you were lucky. With those broken ribs, you're lucky one of them didn't puncture her heart. She landed on top of the dumpster before hitting the pavement, breaking her fall." He was silent for a moment before adding. "She's had lucky on her side so far. Let's hope it holds out." He walked away, not mentioning it again.

Only two people were allowed in Piper's room for the time being. Phoebe and Prue were currently in there, each holding one of her hands, talking to her. Every half hour, Phoebe came out and switched positions with one of them, usually Leo. Andy and Darryl had been in twice to see her, and Eric one. All three had agreed it was more important for Prue, Phoebe, and Leo to spend time with her. Prue refused to leave her side. She once again pulled another all-nighter for Piper.

Leo leaned his forehead against the cool glass window that separated Piper from the rest of the world.

Phoebe walked out of the room, shaking. She leaned against the wall outside of the door, and slid down to the floor, sobbing. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed, and kept sobbing even when Eric bent down to comfort her.

Leo stepped into the eerie silence of Piper's room, the only noise being the steady beep of the heard monitors and the respiratory machine breathing for her. Prue didn't say a word to him; she barely looked up. She just kept on holding Piper's hand, whispering softly to her.

Leo held her other hand and gently smoothed the hair away from her face, careful to avoid the bandaged section of hear head. Leo gently kissed her forehead. "Piper? Can you hear me? Please come back. I need you. Please, don't leave me alone."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

At first the constant fog scared Piper, but now it was comforting. She could hear voices, voices belonging to Phoebe, Prue, and Leo, but she couldn't reply. After a while, she stopped trying to. She just sat on the swimming in the middle of the fog, thinking about everything and nothing. She sat on the swing, cold, like she was that night she ran away to the park.

"Piper," said a voice behind her, and she feared it to be Tony Wong. But when she turned around, the person she saw brought tears to her eyes.

"Mark," Piper said, and ran to him, flinging her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so much."

"But we're together now."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo still sat next to Piper, holding her hand, talking to her. Phoebe had been unable to take the sight of her broken older sister anymore, so Eric took her home. Prue had fallen asleep and one of the nurses had brought the both of them reclining chairs. Prue was asleep in her, still wrapped in the covers Andy put around her.

Leo on the other hand, had no thought of sleep. He laid back in the recliner, holding Piper's hand and talking to her in the dark. "Remember that night in my apartment…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper sat next to Mark on the swing, her head resting on his shoulder. He held her hand, and for a while they said nothing. But finally Piper said. "This is nice. I wish I could stay here."

"You know you can't."

"Why not? I'd be here with you."

"Piper, I'm dead, you're not. You're not meant to stay here."

"But I want to be with you."

"Piper, you have to move on. You have so much life left to live."

"I know. I just wish you were with me."

"I always will be in some way. I'd never leave you alone."

Piper could hear Leo talking, but she could no longer make out his words. She was falling farther and farther away from him.

"Besides, Piper, you have Leo now. It is possible to love two people."

Piper leaned against him and closed her eyes. "I'm tired."

"Piper, you have to fight it. You need to go back, you need to go back to your sisters and Leo." He took her face in his hands and kissed her. It wasn't warm, as she expected, but cold, and Piper knew she couldn't stay here anymore. The kiss made her think of Leo's warm. loving touch, and she knew she was ready to go home.

"I'll miss you."

"But you need to move on."

"I won't forget you."

"I'm not asking you too. Miss me, but don't mourn me. You're too beautiful to be sad all the time."

Piper smiled at him. "I love you," Mark said to her.

"I love you too, Mark." He kissed her one last time, but Piper began to fade, going back to where she belonged.

Piper was falling through the clouds, back to where she belonged. Back with her sisters, back with Leo. Through the clouds she fell until she was at the place she could call home.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo was still talking to Piper when he noticed her hand moved. Thinking it was a trick of the mind or an involuntary movement on her part, he thought nothing more of it. But when it happened again, Leo's heart leaped with joy.

"Piper?" he whispered and looked at her face. In the soft glow of the moonlight, he could see her eyes were wide open and looking at him. "Oh my God, Piper," Leo, whispered, tears running down his face.

Piper tried to say something, but couldn't because of the tube down her throat. She touched her throat and Leo knew what she was asking.

"They put a tube down your throat because you were having trouble breathing," Leo told her through his tears.

Piper reached up a weak hand and wiped away his tears. Leo grabbed her hand and held it. "I love you so much. I know I've told you before, but I never told you how much. Piper, I need you to go on. When they said you… you might no make it, I thought I was dying. I love you so much."

Piper nodded in agreement and touched her chest to signify, _me too_.

Besides them, Prue stirred and woke up. When she saw Piper staring at her, she jumped up and hugged her sister, tears of joy streaming down her face. Piper attempted to give her a weak hug in return, but failed.

As Prue hugged her and a nurse came into the room to see what all the fuss was about, Piper looked at Leo and he knew everything was going to be okay.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper had the breathing tube removed the next day, but Leo never got a chance to talk to her alone. Either her sisters, Andy, or Darryl was present, or Piper had fallen asleep.

Leo waited at the back of the room for his chance. It wasn't until later that afternoon that everyone had left, leaving Leo alone with Piper.

"You look like a doctor," Piper commented in a low voice, eyeing the scrubs a nurse gave him to change into. It was still hard for Piper to talk. The breathing tube really scratched up her throat.

"Well, you know, I was thinking of changing professions," He joked and Piper smiled.

"You could if you wanted to. You did save my life after all."

"It was a lot of luck," he said, remembering his conversation with the doctor.

"No, it wasn't," she said, scooting over on the bed, making room for him. "It was you, not luck, that saved me."

Leo gently got on the bed, trying not to jostle Piper and hurt her. But it didn't work. She winced in pain and he apologized profusely.

"I'm fine," she told him, lying on his shoulder. "I feel much better now." And she did. Physically as well as mentally. She finally let go of Mark and was willing to let Leo have all of her.

"Piper?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you'll never scare me like that again."

"I promise."

That sat in silence for a few minutes. Then:

"Piper?"

"Yeah?"

"Never mind."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for again until Leo spoke up again.

"Piper?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about being married to a cop who has a terrible fear of hospitals but is learning to get of it?"

"I think I'd like that."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Are you sure?"

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"You talk to much," she told him and kissed him to shut him up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: This is the last chapter! Well, actually, I'm adding an epilogue at the end. It's just a little thing to tell you how everything turns out. I want to thank all my faithful readers, you guys rock! I am working on another Piper and Leo fic, but I don't know when I'll post it. Thank you all for reviewing, you guys are great!**


	26. Epilogue

**Okay, this is the last chapter, just something I added to let you know how everything worked out for everyone. The italicized sections are events from the past, ones Leo are remembering. I hope you like!**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Chapter 26: Epilogue**

Leo sat in the expectant father's lounge, the cartoon animals on the wall smiling at him, mocking him. Piper had been in the delivery room for over an hour and no one had told Leo anything. Leo was supposed to be in there with her once everything was 'safe', according to the doctors. The pregnancy hadn't been easy for Piper the last few months, and that terrified Leo.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Eric took the microphone in his hand, ready to make his speech at Prue and Andy's wedding reception. "I just want to wish Andy and Prue a happy life together. If anybody can make it work, it's you two."_

_Phoebe took the microphone from him. "Andy, I would say welcome to the family, but you've already been apart of it since you were six and told Grams you were going to marry Prue." Everyone laughed._

_Eric took the microphone back. "We would also like to congratulate Piper and Leo on their engagement." Every applauded and cheered. "Now, there's only one more thing left to say before we get this party started." He bent down on one knee and opened a little box in his hand. "Phoebe Halliwell, will you marry me?" _

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo didn't know how he was avoiding a panic attack, but he was. He was sitting in the expectant father's lounge, the very place his father received the news that his wife was dead. Piper had the same condition his mother had: preeclampsia. It meant Piper had really high blood pressure that was cutting off oxygen and food to the baby. If untreated, it could develop into eclampsia and cause Piper to go into convulsions during labor and die.

Needless to say, Leo was terrified. And those damn cartoon animals on the wall weren't helping.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Piper was getting violently sick in the bathroom. When she walked out, hand on her stomach, Leo asked, "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you need to go to the hospital. You've been like this for weeks. Maybe it's more than just the stomach flu."_

_Piper took his hand and led him to the bed. She sat cross-legged on the bed and Leo did the same. She held both of his hands and looked him in the eyes. "Leo, I'm not sick. I'm pregnant."_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The doctor walked out of the double doors and headed towards Leo. Leo stood up and walked to the doctor. Before the doctor could say a word, Leo had already bombarded him with questions. "Is Piper okay? Is the baby? Are they still alive?"

The doctor held up a hand. "Piper is fine. As a matter of fact, she's asking for you."

"The baby…?"

"Isn't born yet."

Leo let out a sigh of relief. Both were still alive.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Piper, six months pregnant, was at the top of the stairs when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Piper clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain as she was hit with another spasm of pain. She leaned too far over and tumbled down the stairs. She lay at the bottom, unmoving._

_That was how Leo found her when he came home from work. At the sight of her body, he was reminded all too much about the day she fell off the roof._

"_Piper!" he cried, going to her side. "Piper! Wake up. Come on, wake up!"_

_Leo got her out to the car and drove her to the hospital where they learned she had preeclampsia, and just how precious the life inside of her was._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Leo scrubbed up and went into the delivery room where a pale Piper lied on the bed. Leo went to he and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you're okay," he told her. He grabbed her hand and held it tight.

"I'm fine. How are you holding up?"

"I've been better."

Piper cried out in pain as she was hit with a painful contraction. Leo held her hand tighter. When it was over, Leo smoothed her hair away from her sweaty forehead. "You're brave," he told her.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm the one in labor."

"I know."

"Well, _I'm_ the one who supposed to squeeze_ your_ hand."

"So?"

"Could you let go of my hand just a little? I think you're cutting off the circulation."

"Oh," Leo said, releasing pressure on her hand. "Sorry."

"It's okay, honey."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Piper walked into the kitchen where Leo was sitting at the kitchen table, reading. He saw her walk in and got up, intending to help her into a chair. "I thought you went to bed."_

"_Leo, I think I'm in labor," she said._

_Leo stood there for a moment, trying to remember what he was supposed to do._

"_Hospital…" Piper said, reminding him._

_Leo ran to the hall closet and got her suitcase. He put it in he car and turned on the car. He stood there, trying to remember if he forgot anything. He looked at the house and remembered… Piper._

_He went back to the kitchen where she was still standing. "Almost forgot me, didn't you?" she asked, holding back a smile._

"_No, I was going to warm up the car," he said._

"_You are a horrible liar."_

"_Sorry. I'm just nervous."_

"You're_ nervous?" she asked ludicrously. _

"_Good point."_

_Leo got her into the car and sped to the hospital. Halfway there, she stopped timing her contraction and he turned to say something to her, but her head laid against the window. "Piper?" he received no answer. "Piper?" She didn't reply, couldn't because she was unconscious. _

_Leo raced to the hospital, fearing that his wife of not even two years was doomed to repeat his mother's fate._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Just one more push, Piper," One of the nurses said.

Piper squeezed his hand and pushed hard. Leo heard a tiny cry and Piper relaxed on the bed, exhausted. She leaned back and closed her eyes, thankful the pain was over.

Piper looked at Leo who smiled at her. Through the window across the room, she could see Prue and Andy holding their one-year-old son, Jack. Phoebe and Eric stood next to them.

The nurse gently handed Piper a bundle of blankets. In the middle of it lay her tiny daughter.

Leo and Piper both had tears of joy running down their faces. Leo reached out and touched one of his daughter's tiny hands.

Leo thought she was the most beautiful thing he had seen. She had soft, downy, light brown hair. Her eyes were closed, but Leo thought she had Piper's eyes. Looking at her, Leo could feel the love for his daughter already bubbling inside of him.

"Hi there, Allison," Piper said, calling her by the name they both agreed on if it was a girl. They named her after Leo's mom.

"Welcome to the world, Allison Paige Wyatt," Leo said to his daughter, calling her by her full name.

Piper and Leo surrounded their daughter, taking in every inch of her tiny body. As Leo looked at his wife and daughter, as Piper looked at her husband and daughter, they both new everything would fine and the long road of trouble was behind them, forever.

Allison fell asleep in her mother's arm, holding her father's finger.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Author's Note: That's it! I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed, you guys are awesome. I'm glad you liked this story so much. I hoped you liked the epilogue. I thought it would be good to add a chapter to let you know how they all turned out.**

**I would once again like to thank all my reviewers:**

**KK241289: **

**I love all of your stories! They are totally awesome. I have read every one of them. I am so happy you reviewed. Thank you so much.**

**Coolcharmedchick17:**

**Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you like the Piper and Mark storyline, and change form Piper and Leo. **

**Psychokitty3:**

**I read your bio and I was surprised to discover we have the same favorite actresses, actors, TV shows, and music artists. Isn't that just weird? Anyway, I agree with you when you said Leo needs to stop acting like a Beep and get back with his family. Thanks for reviewing my fic, I really appreciate it!**

**HollyShadow:**

**I love your reviews. They are very enjoyable. I hope your boyfriend turns into Leo, but hey, who wouldn't want a man like him? If only we could all be so lucky.**

**Leo+Piper-Forever:**

**I'm glad you liked Mark so much. Thanks for your reviews.**

**Evilkitten1281**

**Thanks for your review. Interesting name. **

**Charmboy4**

**I'm reading one of your stories, but I forgot the title. It's the one where Piper becomes a goddess. It's good, I hope you update soon.**

**Hmcdd-pileo-forever**

**I really apreciate your reviews. **

**LivingWyatt**

**I enjoyed your reviews.**

**Piperfairy63**

**I'm glad you didn't want Piper to die. I wouldn't have let that happen. I really like your pen name.**

**Versatilecuties**

**Thanks for reviewing.**

**AsherSmasher**

**Thanks for reviewing. You have an interesting pen name.**

**PinkVolleyballs**

**I'm glad you like the story so much.**

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. I really appreciate it! I'm glad you liked the story so much. I'm writting another one that should be up soon. Thanks again for your great reviews!**


End file.
